Objective To summarize the research progress of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death protein-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors before liver transplantation of liver cancer. Method The literatures on the application of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors before liver transplantation of liver cancer were collected and reviewed. Results PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors preoperatively treated liver transplantation recipients had a low incidence of postoperative rejection, and routine usage of hormone and immune tolerance induction therapy in liver transplantation recipients might reduce the incidence of rejection caused by PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Conclusion Preoperative usage of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have more benefits than risks for patients with advanced liver cancer.
ObjectiveTo review the present situation of immune checkpoint inhibitors in treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and discuss the advance of combined immunotherapy.MethodsThe relevant literatures on researches of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of advanced HCC were retrieved to make an review.ResultsImmunotherapy intervention had been becoming a novel and promising therapeutic approach for HCC, which could suppress the progression of aggressive tumor and could inhibit tumor recurrence and metastasis shown in some pre-clinical trials. Other studies had found that the combined strategy of specific immunotherapy and conventional therapies could significantly improve the clinical outcomes of HCC patients.ConclusionCombined immunotherapy can significantly improve the clinical outcomes of HCC and benefit more patients with advanced HCC.
Surgery remains as the primary definitive therapy for resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) currently. However, quite a few NSCLC patients, especially in the later stage, suffered tumor recurrence after resection. Safer and more effective perioperative treatment is urgently needed to reduce the recurrence risk after NSCLC surgery. Immune checkpoint inhibitors can effectively prevent tumor immune evasion and have been shown to be a feasible, safe and effective neoadjuvant therapy for resectable NSCLC. Nevertheless, certain crucial problems, including the final effect on NSCLC recurrence, the selection of beneficial group and optimal treatment protocol are yet unsolved. Fortunately, several phase Ⅲ randomized controlled trials are ongoing to answer these questions and will hopefully provide stronger evidence.
Most immune-related adverse event (irAE) associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) resulted from excessive immune response against normal organs. The severity, timing, and organs affected by these events were often unpredictable. Adverse reactions could cause treatment delays or interruptions, in rare cases, pose a life-threatening risk. The mechanisms underlying irAE involved immune cell dysregulation, imbalances in inflammatory factor expression, alterations in autoantibodies and complement activation, even dysbiosis of intestinal microorganisms. However, the mechanisms of irAE occurrence might differ slightly among organs due to variations in their structures and the functions of resident immune cells. Future research should focus on the development of targeted drugs for the prevention or treatment of irAE based on the mechanisms by which irAE occurs in different organs. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying irAE occurrence would aid clinicians in effectively utilizing ICIs and provide valuable guidance for their clinical application.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors worldwide. Although surgery remains the key approach for achieving long-term survival, the majority of patients are ineligible for surgery at the time of initial diagnosis, resulting in suboptimal overall treatment outcomes. This paper reviews the current treatment strategies for HCC, with a particular focus on comprehensive treatment plans centered around surgery. It explores the status and advancements in multidisciplinary treatment approaches, including preoperative conversion therapy, minimally invasive surgery, and postoperative adjuvant therapies. Through the adoption of rational comprehensive treatment strategies, it is anticipated that the therapeutic outcomes and quality of life for HCC patients can be improved.
ObjectiveTo summarize the biomarkers related to the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).MethodReviewed and summarized the literatures on the basic and clinical application of biomarkers related to programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors and their combination with targeted therapy.ResultsThe combination of immunotherapy and targeted therapy had brought great hope for the treatment of patients with advanced HCC, but there were still some patients who could not benefit from it. Recent studies had shown that expression of PD-L1 in tumor tissue, tumor mutational burden, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, peripheral immune cells, circulating tumor DNA, gut microbiome, and so on, could predict the efficacy of immunotherapy or targeted therapy combined with immunotherapy for HCC.ConclusionsThere is no specific biomarker to predict the efficacy of immunotherapy and its combination regimen for HCC. More prospective studies are needed to confirm the predictive value of these biomarkers and to establish a multi-factor predictive model or immune score to screen patients who may benefit, which is of great significance for precise immunotherapy of HCC.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although improvement has been achieved in platinum-based chemotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors-based molecular targeted therapy, they still have limitations. Immunotherapy has recently emerged as a very effective new treatment, and there is now growing enthusiasm in cancer immunotherapy worldwide. We summarized the effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors in clinical trials, and the current status and progress of anti programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) agents in lung cancer treatment. Attention has been paid to finding out the factors which influence the therapeutic effect of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy and reducing the occurrence of adverse events.
ObjectiveTo review the definition, incidence, risk factors, potential pathogenesis, biomarkers, and choice of follow-up treatment strategies of hyperprogressive disease (HPD).MethodDomestic and international literatures were collected to summarize the research progress of HPD in patients with malignant tumors who treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).ResultsThe research types of HPD were scattered, the sample size was limited, the definition standard was different, and there was lack of prospective validation studies. Therefore, the early warning assessment and molecular mechanism of HPD would become the next focus of the study of immunotherapy.ConclusionICIs can greatly improve the survival time of some patients with advanced malignant tumor, although some patients have HPD during treatment, but the incidence is relatively low.
Objective To summarize the research progress of immunotherapy for metastatic breast cancer. Method Literatures about immunotherapy for metastatic breast cancer were reviewed by searching the literatures in domestic and foreign database. Results In recent years, immunotherapy had been initially attempted in patients with metastatic breast cancer and showed its unique value. It provided a new way to improve the therapeutic effect and prolong the survival time of patients with metastatic breast cancer. ConclusionsImmunotherapy is the most effective in triple-negative metastatic breast cancers. The immuno-oncology needs to be developed to improve the clinical benefits of immunotherapy for breast cancer.
ObjectiveTo summarize the latest research progress in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) treatment and efficacy prediction biomarkers for gastric cancer. MethodsRelevant studies on ICIs treatment and efficacy prediction biomarkers for gastric cancer in recent years at home and abroad were collected and summarized. ResultsICIs combined with chemotherapy, ICIs combined with targeted therapy, chemotherapy combined with ICIs and anti-angiogenic drugs, ICIs dual immunotherapy, etc. in the first-line treatment of gastric cancer, as well as ICIs monotherapy, ICIs combined with anti-angiogenic drugs or addition of chemotherapy in the second-line treatment, have become important first- and second-line treatment methods for gastric cancer. Emerging immune checkpoints such as lymphocyte activation gene-3 and V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T-cell activation factor also have good clinical prospects. In recent years, researches on new biomarkers such as Epstein-Barr virus, helicobater pylori, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, liquid biopsy biomarkers have also made some progresses. ConclusionsIn the future, through multi-dimensional or dynamic biomarker detection, gastric cancer immunotherapy can move towards precision and individualization, maximizing the survival benefits of gastric cancer patients.