Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment for Improving Therapeutic Effectiveness in Cancer Immunotherapy: Focusing on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Combination Therapies
Immune checkpoints play critical roles in the regulation of T-cell effector function, and the effectiveness of their inhibitors in cancer therapy has been established. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) constitute a paradigm shift in cancer therapy in general and cancer immunotherapy in particular....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Cancers |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/13/6/1188 |
| _version_ | 1797542020894425088 |
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| author | I-Tsu Chyuan Ching-Liang Chu Ping-Ning Hsu |
| author_facet | I-Tsu Chyuan Ching-Liang Chu Ping-Ning Hsu |
| author_sort | I-Tsu Chyuan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Immune checkpoints play critical roles in the regulation of T-cell effector function, and the effectiveness of their inhibitors in cancer therapy has been established. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) constitute a paradigm shift in cancer therapy in general and cancer immunotherapy in particular. Immunotherapy has been indicated to reinvigorate antitumor T-cell activity and dynamically modulate anticancer immune responses. However, despite the promising results in the use of immunotherapy in some cancers, numerous patients do not respond to ICIs without the existence of a clear predictive biomarker. Overall, immunotherapy involves a certain degree of uncertainty and complexity. Research on the exploration of cellular and molecular factors within the tumor microenvironment (TME) aims to identify possible mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance, as well as to develop novel combination strategies involving the specific targeting of the TME for cancer immunotherapy. The combination of this approach with other types of treatment, including immune checkpoint blockade therapy involving multiple agents, most of the responses and effects in cancer therapy could be significantly enhanced, but the appropriate combinations have yet to be established. Moreover, the in-depth exploration of complexity within the TME allows for the exploration of pathways of immune dysfunction. It may also aid in the identification of new therapeutic targets. This paper reviews recent advances in the improvement of therapeutic efficacy on the immune context of the TME and highlights its contribution to cancer immunotherapy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:23:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ed6b2e9b90454e0780fd415e2f7c3403 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6694 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:23:44Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancers |
| spelling | doaj.art-ed6b2e9b90454e0780fd415e2f7c34032023-11-21T09:50:21ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942021-03-01136118810.3390/cancers13061188Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment for Improving Therapeutic Effectiveness in Cancer Immunotherapy: Focusing on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Combination TherapiesI-Tsu Chyuan0Ching-Liang Chu1Ping-Ning Hsu2Department of Internal Medicine, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei 10630, TaiwanGraduate Institute of Immunology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100233, TaiwanGraduate Institute of Immunology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100233, TaiwanImmune checkpoints play critical roles in the regulation of T-cell effector function, and the effectiveness of their inhibitors in cancer therapy has been established. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) constitute a paradigm shift in cancer therapy in general and cancer immunotherapy in particular. Immunotherapy has been indicated to reinvigorate antitumor T-cell activity and dynamically modulate anticancer immune responses. However, despite the promising results in the use of immunotherapy in some cancers, numerous patients do not respond to ICIs without the existence of a clear predictive biomarker. Overall, immunotherapy involves a certain degree of uncertainty and complexity. Research on the exploration of cellular and molecular factors within the tumor microenvironment (TME) aims to identify possible mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance, as well as to develop novel combination strategies involving the specific targeting of the TME for cancer immunotherapy. The combination of this approach with other types of treatment, including immune checkpoint blockade therapy involving multiple agents, most of the responses and effects in cancer therapy could be significantly enhanced, but the appropriate combinations have yet to be established. Moreover, the in-depth exploration of complexity within the TME allows for the exploration of pathways of immune dysfunction. It may also aid in the identification of new therapeutic targets. This paper reviews recent advances in the improvement of therapeutic efficacy on the immune context of the TME and highlights its contribution to cancer immunotherapy.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/13/6/1188cancer immunotherapyimmune checkpointT cell dysfunctiontumor microenvironment |
| spellingShingle | I-Tsu Chyuan Ching-Liang Chu Ping-Ning Hsu Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment for Improving Therapeutic Effectiveness in Cancer Immunotherapy: Focusing on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Combination Therapies Cancers cancer immunotherapy immune checkpoint T cell dysfunction tumor microenvironment |
| title | Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment for Improving Therapeutic Effectiveness in Cancer Immunotherapy: Focusing on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Combination Therapies |
| title_full | Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment for Improving Therapeutic Effectiveness in Cancer Immunotherapy: Focusing on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Combination Therapies |
| title_fullStr | Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment for Improving Therapeutic Effectiveness in Cancer Immunotherapy: Focusing on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Combination Therapies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment for Improving Therapeutic Effectiveness in Cancer Immunotherapy: Focusing on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Combination Therapies |
| title_short | Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment for Improving Therapeutic Effectiveness in Cancer Immunotherapy: Focusing on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Combination Therapies |
| title_sort | targeting the tumor microenvironment for improving therapeutic effectiveness in cancer immunotherapy focusing on immune checkpoint inhibitors and combination therapies |
| topic | cancer immunotherapy immune checkpoint T cell dysfunction tumor microenvironment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/13/6/1188 |
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