Lung Cancer Immunotherapy Approaches: From Clinical Testing to Future Advances

One of the major reason of deaths due to cancer globally is caused by lung cancer of which the two main types include non-small cell and small cell lung cancer. The onset of treatment-resistance in cancer cells offers a serious obstacle to the therapeutic effect despite that primary conventional treatments have provided significant benefits and cures. Cancer immunotherapy offers a compelling alternative in patients by utilizing their immune system to enhance its ability to fight against tumors. Cancer immunotherapy includes treatment with cytokines, hormones, bacterial products, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, etc. Many of these immunotherapies are clinically tested in lung cancer patients. Tumor-associated antigens specific for lung cancer are being targeted using monoclonal antibodies and vaccines. Genetically engineered T-cells that are cultured outside the body are reinfused into the patients. In this review, we describe the different immunotherapeutic approaches that have been clinically tested and used to treat lung cancer globally. The data presented are collected from published studies through electronic databases like Google Scholar and Pubmed using keywords like immunotherapy, adoptive cell therapy, cancer, vaccines, lung cancer and immunological checkpoint inhibitors. The clinical trial results were acquired from ClinicalTrials.gov.in, a database of clinical research studies and their result updates. The review examines the current immunotherapies available for lung cancer treatment globally. While these therapies offer significant benefits to the community, several challenges have hindered their widespread adoption. Key issues such as adverse effects, high costs and varying patient responses to lung cancer immunotherapy require careful consideration. The integration of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and bioinformatics tools, along with combinatorial strategies and thorough monitoring, has the potential to increase widely use of lung cancer immunotherapy.