Updates on immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer

Immunotherapy has made significant progress in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the last years. Early tumor vaccine studies showed trends toward better clinical outcomes, and larger trial results are currently being awaited. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are promising therapeutic agents in advanced NSCLC. While ipilimumab, a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 inhibitor, has clearly improved outcomes in metastatic malignant melanoma, its safety and efficacy in NSCLC are not yet known. Programmed death-1 (PD-1) and PD-1 ligand inhibitors such as nivolumab, MK3475 and MPDL3280 have demonstrated clinical efficacy in patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC in early clinical trials. Their validation in larger Phase III trials is anxiously being awaited. Furthermore, exploring efficacy of these molecules in patients with early stages of lung cancer is also necessary.