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Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy for Breast Cancer: Lessons from Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Isabel O'Connell1, Anushka Dongre2

  • 1Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, T7-012A VRT, 930 Campus Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.

Molecular Diagnosis & Therapy
|May 16, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Immune checkpoint blockade therapies show limited efficacy in breast cancer. Understanding epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity could reveal biomarkers to improve immunotherapy response in breast carcinomas.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Cancer Biology

Background:

  • Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies are effective for some cancers but show limited success in breast carcinomas.
  • Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) in cancer cells enhances tumor initiation, aggressiveness, and treatment resistance.
  • The influence of EMP on immune modulation and ICB susceptibility in breast cancer requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore insights from epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to enhance immunotherapy efficacy in breast cancer.
  • To identify predictive parameters and therapeutic targets for improving ICB response in breast carcinomas.
  • To discuss strategies for sensitizing mesenchymal-like breast cancer cells to anti-tumor immunity.

Main Methods:

  • This is a current opinion piece, synthesizing existing research and proposing future directions.
  • The discussion focuses on the role of epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in modulating tumor-immune interactions.
  • Strategies for overcoming resistance to immunotherapy in breast cancer are explored.

Main Results:

  • Limited response of breast carcinomas to current immune checkpoint blockade therapies.
  • Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity influences cancer cell aggressiveness and immune evasion.
  • Alternating phenotypic states of cancer cells impact their susceptibility to immunotherapy.

Conclusions:

  • Lessons from EMT can potentiate immunotherapy efficacy in breast cancers.
  • Targeting mesenchymal-like breast cancer cells may enhance anti-tumor immunity.
  • These strategies offer potential new translational approaches for treating human breast tumors.

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