The Immunotherapy Landscape in Adrenocortical Cancer.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunotherapy
• Rare Cancers

Background:

• Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare adrenal gland malignancy often linked to hormone overproduction.
• Effective treatments for advanced or metastatic ACC are limited, especially after surgery.
• Immunotherapies have shown broad efficacy in various cancers, prompting investigation in rare tumors like ACC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the clinical trials and therapeutic potential of immunotherapies in treating adrenocortical carcinoma.
• To assess the efficacy and ongoing research of various immunotherapeutic agents in ACC.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical trials evaluating immunotherapies for adrenocortical carcinoma.
• Analysis of specific immunotherapeutic agents including immune checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines.

Main Results:

• Several immunotherapies, including pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and avelumab, have been evaluated in ACC clinical trials.
• Modest clinical activity has been observed with these agents, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors.
• Other evaluated immunotherapies include anti-IGF-1R antibodies, interleukin-13-pseudomonas exotoxin A, and dendritic cell vaccines.

Conclusions:

• Immunotherapy represents a developing treatment avenue for adrenocortical carcinoma.
• Ongoing clinical trials are investigating combination therapies to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapies in ACC.
• Further research is needed to optimize immunotherapy strategies for this rare cancer.