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Author Spotlight: Unlocking Insights into the Immune Cell Landscape of Tumors
Published on: August 18, 2023
Immune Checkpoint Blockade for Advanced NSCLC: A New Landscape for Elderly Patients
Fabio Perrotta1, Danilo Rocco2, Fabiana Vitiello3
1Department of Medicine and Health Sciences "V. Tiberio", University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy. fabio.perrotta@unimol.it.
Abstract:
The therapeutic scenario for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC has been limited to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Recently, a novel therapeutic approach based on targeting the immune-checkpoints has showed noteworthy results in advanced NSCLC. PD1/PD-L1 pathway is co-opted by tumor cells through the expression of PD-L1 on the tumor cell surface and on cells within the microenvironment, leading to suppression of anti-tumor cytolytic T-cell activity by the tumor. The success of immune-checkpoints inhibitors in clinical trials led to rapid approval by the FDA and EMA. Currently, data regarding efficacy and safety of ICIs in older subjects is limited by the poor number of elderly recruited in clinical trials. Careful assessment and management of comorbidities is essential to achieve better outcomes and limit the immune related adverse events in elderly NSCLC patients.
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Overview of Advanced Functional Groups
Functional groups are groups of atoms with specific chemical properties that occur within organic molecules and are sometimes denoted as “R”. Functional groups can “functionalize” a compound by enabling it to adopt different physical and chemical properties.
Types of Advanced Functional Groups
The table below summarizes some of the major functional groups in organic chemistry.

