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Epigenetic Regulation of Immunotherapy Response in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Pere Llinàs-Arias1, Sandra Íñiguez-Muñoz1, Kelly McCann2

  • 1Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory at the Cancer Cell Biology Group, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Illes Balears (IdISBa), 07120 Palma, Spain.

Cancers
|August 27, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is challenging due to its aggressiveness and lack of targeted therapies. Epigenetic alterations drive immune escape, but combining epigenetic drugs with immunotherapy may improve treatment responses in TNBC patients.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Epigenetics

Background:

  • Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks targeted therapies, exhibiting aggressive behavior and poorer outcomes.
  • Current immunotherapies show efficacy in a subset of TNBC patients, necessitating identification of response predictors.
  • Epigenetic alterations contribute to immune escape mechanisms in TNBC.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of epigenetics in immune escape within TNBC.
  • To explore the potential of combining epigenetic drugs with immunotherapy for TNBC treatment.
  • To understand how epigenetic modifications influence immunotherapy response in TNBC.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on epigenetics, immunotherapy, and TNBC.
  • Analysis of studies investigating epigenetic regulators and their impact on immune cells.
  • Examination of preclinical and clinical data on combined epigenetic and immunotherapy strategies.

Main Results:

  • Epigenetic alterations, such as aberrant chromatin structure, facilitate immune evasion in TNBC.
  • Inhibition of epigenetic regulators can potentially reverse immune escape mechanisms.
  • Combination therapies involving epigenetic drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors show promise in preclinical models.

Conclusions:

  • Epigenetics plays a crucial role in the tumor microenvironment and immune response in TNBC.
  • Targeting epigenetic modifications offers a promising strategy to enhance immunotherapy efficacy.
  • Combined epigenetic and immunotherapy approaches represent a potential new avenue for TNBC treatment.
Keywords:
TNBCbreast cancercancerepigenetic drugsepigeneticsimmune checkpointimmune systemimmunotherapy

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