Combining Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapies in Cancer Treatment

By Matthew Vanneman, G. Dranoff. Nature Reviews. Cancer, 2012

1,502 citations recorded by the source corpus.

During the past two decades, the paradigm for cancer treatment has evolved from relatively nonspecific cytotoxic agents to selective, mechanism-based therapeutics. Cancer chemotherapies were initially identified through screens for compounds that killed rapidly dividing cells. These drugs remain the backbone of current treatment, but they are limited by a narrow therapeutic index, significant toxicities and frequently acquired resistance. More recently, an improved understanding of cancer pathogenesis has given rise to new treatment options, including targeted agents and cancer immunotherapy. Targeted approaches aim to inhibit molecular pathways that are crucial for tumour growth and maintenance; whereas, immunotherapy endeavours to stimulate a host immune response that effectuates long-lived tumour destruction. Targeted therapies and cytotoxic agents also modulate immune responses, which raises the possibility that these treatment strategies might be effectively combined with immunotherapy to improve clinical outcomes.

Subfields: Immunology, Oncology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/3906f0c3436dbf96b794c83c53b23408cbf97095

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Immunology

1. Guido Kroemer
2. L. Galluzzi
3. L. Zitvogel
4. M. Smyth
5. Daniel S. Chen
6. I. Mellman
7. Oliver Kepp
8. V. Schirrmacher

In Oncology

1. Guido Kroemer
2. L. Galluzzi
3. L. Zitvogel
4. M. Smyth
5. Daniel S. Chen
6. I. Mellman
7. Rebecca S. Y. Wong

Citations in the corpus

• Oncology meets immunology: the cancer-immunity cycle. (2013, background): “Not only are such trials long and expensive, but they also represent only one of many potential combinations that are competing to be evaluated in conjunction with other immunotherapies (Vanneman and Dranoff, 2012).”
• Immune-based mechanisms of cytotoxic chemotherapy: implications for the design of novel and rationale-based combined treatments against cancer (2013, background): “In this respect, several targeted compounds such as imatinib (an IDO inhibitor), sunitinib (MDSC and Treg antagonist) are also gaining applicability.(132) Fourth, some”
• Critical Role for CD103+/CD141+ Dendritic Cells Bearing CCR7 for Tumor Antigen Trafficking and Priming of T Cell Immunity in Melanoma (2016, neutral): “Comparatively, chemo -and radiotherapies, which release tumor antigens, could also increase antigen availability for trafficking CD103 DC, thus further improving naive anti-tumor T cell responses (Vanneman and Dranoff, 2012).”
• Mechanism of action of conventional and targeted anticancer therapies: reinstating immunosurveillance. (2013, background): “Backing up these preclinical observations, sporadic evidence from clinical trials suggests that cancer patients who have previously been treated with immunotherapy respond better to salvage chemotherapy than do patient who have not (Vanneman and Dranoff, 2012).”
• Kinase-targeted cancer therapies: progress, challenges and future directions (2018, background): “In order to counter currently undruggable targets and acquired resistance, immunotherapy has gained widespread recognition in recent years [174].”