[Recent Development of Therapies for Melanoma Using Immune Checkpoint Blockades]

Melanoma is a highly immune tumor, and tumor-specific T lymphocytes are occasionally induced. Recent progress in tumor immunology has made it possible to clinically develop new medicines targeting immune checkpoint molecules, such as cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4(CTLA-4), programmed cell death 1(PD-1), and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1(PD-L1). CTLA-4 is expressed on naïve T cells and regulatory T cells. Ipilimumab, an anti-CTLA-4 antibody, shows a distinct durable clinical benefit by inhibiting the immunosuppressive function of CTLA-4. PD-1, which is expressed on activated T cells, inhibits T cell responses against tumor cells. The antibodies against PD-1, nivolumab and pembrolizumab, produce anti-tumor responses in melanoma and other cancers due to T cell reactivation. Furthermore, clinical trials of combination therapies using immune checkpoint blockades with molecularly targeted therapies and other chemotherapeutic agents are being conducted. However, immune checkpoint blockades frequently cause immune-related adverse events. Targeted therapies to immune checkpoint molecules are expected to be promising strategies for treatment of melanoma and other cancers.