The emerging role of immunotherapy for the treatment of sarcoma

Nicholas D Klemen1, Ciara M Kelly2, Edmund K Bartlett1

  • 1Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.

Clinicians caring for patients with sarcoma founded the field of cancer immunotherapy. Despite this, contemporary success with immunotherapy for sarcoma has been limited. Here, we review immunotherapy for sarcoma including Coley's toxins, interleukin-2, adoptive cell transfer, and checkpoint blockade. We detail recent and ongoing efforts to combine checkpoint blockade with other immune modulators, surgery, or radiation. These results, along with ongoing investigations, have identified immunotherapeutic approaches as a promising avenue for progress in advanced sarcomas.

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