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Published on: October 30, 2013
Conceptual Development of Immunotherapeutic Approaches to Gastrointestinal Cancer
Bilikis Aderonke Abolarinwa1, Ridwan Babatunde Ibrahim2,3, Yen-Hua Huang4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11
1International PhD Program for Cell Therapy and Regeneration Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan. Bekee02@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is one of the common causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy are the current treatments, but some patients do not derive clinical benefits. Recently, studies from cancer molecular subtyping have revealed that tumor molecular biomarkers may predict the immunotherapeutic response of GI cancer patients. However, the therapeutic response of patients selected by the predictive biomarkers is suboptimal. The tumor immune-microenvironment apparently plays a key role in modulating these molecular-determinant predictive biomarkers. Therefore, an understanding of the development and recent advances in immunotherapeutic pharmacological intervention targeting tumor immune-microenvironments and their potential predictive biomarkers will be helpful to strengthen patient immunotherapeutic efficacy. The current review focuses on an understanding of how the host-microenvironment interactions and the predictive biomarkers can determine the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors. The contribution of environmental pathogens and host immunity to GI cancer is summarized. A discussion regarding the clinical evidence of predictive biomarkers for clinical trial therapy design, current immunotherapeutic strategies, and the outcomes to GI cancer patients are highlighted. An understanding of the underlying mechanism can predict the immunotherapeutic efficacy and facilitate the future development of personalized therapeutic strategies targeting GI cancers.
Insights
Understanding tumor immune microenvironments and biomarkers is key to improving immunotherapy for gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. This review explores host-microenvironment interactions to enhance treatment efficacy and personalize GI cancer therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality globally.
- Current treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy show suboptimal responses in many GI cancer patients.
- Tumor molecular biomarkers show promise but require refinement for predicting immunotherapy response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advances in immunotherapeutic interventions targeting the tumor immune-microenvironment in GI cancer.
- To elucidate the role of host-microenvironment interactions and predictive biomarkers in determining immunotherapy efficacy.
- To highlight clinical evidence for predictive biomarkers and current immunotherapeutic strategies in GI cancer.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on molecular subtyping, tumor immune-microenvironment, and predictive biomarkers.
- Analysis of host immunity and environmental pathogen contributions to GI cancer.
- Discussion of clinical trial data and outcomes for immunotherapeutic strategies in GI cancer.
Main Results:
- Tumor molecular biomarkers alone provide suboptimal prediction of immunotherapy response in GI cancer.
- The tumor immune-microenvironment significantly modulates predictive biomarker efficacy.
- Host-microenvironment interactions are crucial for determining the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the tumor immune-microenvironment and its interplay with host factors is essential for improving immunotherapy outcomes in GI cancer.
- Predictive biomarkers, when integrated with immune-microenvironment insights, can enhance personalized therapeutic strategies.
- Further research into these mechanisms will facilitate the development of more effective and tailored treatments for GI cancer patients.
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