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Epigenetic Regulation of Immune Responses in Endocrine-Related Cancers and Its Role in Immunotherapy

Evren M Akyuz1,2, Meryem Gultekin2,3, Judith M Ramage2,3

  • 1School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham LE12 5RD, UK.

Cancers
|October 29, 2025
PubMed

Insights

New strategies combining immunotherapy and epigenetic modulation show promise for treating endocrine-related cancers. These approaches aim to overcome resistance and improve outcomes in these difficult-to-treat tumors.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Epigenetics

Background:

  • Endocrine-related cancers are a significant global health burden, with resistance to current therapies limiting treatment efficacy in advanced stages.
  • These cancers are often immunologically 'cold,' exhibiting low immunogenicity and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, which hinders response to immunotherapy.
  • Novel therapeutic strategies are essential to overcome treatment resistance and improve survival rates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current understanding of the immune landscape in endocrine-related cancers.
  • To explore the role of epigenetic regulators in these cancers.
  • To discuss the potential of combining epigenetic modulation with immunotherapy for endocrine-related cancers.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on endocrine-related cancers, immunotherapy, and epigenetic modulation.
  • Analysis of the immune microenvironment characteristics of endocrine-related cancers.
  • Examination of preclinical and clinical data on combination therapies.

Main Results:

  • Endocrine-related cancers present unique challenges for immunotherapy due to their cold and immunosuppressive nature.
  • Epigenetic agents have the potential to modify both tumor cells and the immune microenvironment, potentially sensitizing tumors to immunotherapy.
  • Current clinical trials are exploring these combination strategies, but face challenges in optimizing treatment efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • Combining epigenetic modulation with immunotherapy offers a promising avenue for treating endocrine-related cancers.
  • Further research and clinical trials are needed to overcome challenges and establish effective combination treatment protocols.
  • This approach holds potential to enhance treatment outcomes for patients with advanced or recurrent endocrine-related cancers.
Keywords:
breast cancerepi-drugsepigeneticsimmunologyimmunotherapyovarian cancerprostate cancerthyroid cancer

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