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Making cold malignant pleural effusions hot: driving novel immunotherapies
Pranav Murthy1, Chigozirim N Ekeke2, Kira L Russell1
1Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Oncoimmunology
|March 26, 2019
Summary
Malignant pleural effusions indicate advanced disease. New immunotherapy strategies, like interleukin-2 and checkpoint inhibitors, show promise for treating these effusions.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Thoracic Medicine
Background:
- Malignant pleural effusions signify advanced cancer with poor prognosis.
- Current palliative treatments like thoracentesis offer limited efficacy.
- The pleural microenvironment is immunosuppressive, featuring myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate local and systemic therapies for malignant pleural effusions.
- To explore the potential of immunotherapy in managing these effusions.
- To assess the efficacy of cytokine-based therapies and checkpoint inhibitors.
Main Methods:
- Review of prior strategies involving interleukin-2 instillation.
- Analysis of immunotherapy approaches, including checkpoint inhibitors.
- Examination of the immunosuppressive pleural cavity environment.
Main Results:
- Malignant pleural effusions are associated with poor prognosis.
- Immunosuppressive cells create a challenging tumor microenvironment.
- Prior studies showed success with interleukin-2 and checkpoint inhibitors.
Conclusions:
- Immunotherapy, including interleukin-2 and checkpoint inhibitors, warrants further investigation for malignant pleural effusions.
- Novel therapeutic strategies are needed to improve outcomes for patients with malignant pleural effusions.
- Harnessing immunotherapy may overcome the pleural cavity's immunosuppressive nature.
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