VISTA: An Emerging Immune Checkpoint With Clinical Relevance Across Diverse Malignancies

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) offer tremendous promise as therapeutic targets for a range of tumor types, and their development is advancing rapidly in cancer treatment. Nevertheless, the limited efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy in several cancers has driven researchers to explore other immune checkpoints as potential therapeutic targets. The inhibitory V-domain Ig suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA) appears to be a captivating candidate. As a member of the B7 family, VISTA is expressed on hematopoietic cells and has the ability to significantly suppress T cell function and the anti-tumor immune response. In this review, our objective is to shed light on the multifaceted potential of VISTA as a therapeutic target. We will highlight the expressions and role of VISTA in various cancer types. Subsequently, we will go through distinct potential VISTA ligands, while underscoring the role of the pathway within the tumor microenvironments (TME). Finally, we will conclude with a comprehensive overview of the latest clinical trials, highlighting VISTA's emerging potential in cancer treatment.