Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Orthotopic Transplantation of Syngeneic Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells to Study PD-L1 Expression
06:03

Orthotopic Transplantation of Syngeneic Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells to Study PD-L1 Expression

Published on: January 19, 2019

18.6K

Programmed cell death in lung cancer: mechanisms, immune responses, and therapeutics

Yang Liu1, Qingxin Chen1, Jiayu Xu2

  • 1Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China.

Apoptosis : an International Journal on Programmed Cell Death
|April 17, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Targeting programmed cell death (PCD) pathways like apoptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis can enhance lung cancer immunotherapy. These PCD types modulate the tumor immune microenvironment, potentially overcoming resistance and improving patient survival.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality globally, with current treatments facing limitations due to tumor immune evasion and resistance.
  • Programmed cell death (PCD) pathways, including apoptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis, are critical in determining tumor cell fate and immune response.
  • The interplay between PCD and the immune system influences whether lung tumors are immunologically
  • hot
  • (inflamed) or
  • cold
  • (excluded).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the mechanistic insights into how different PCD pathways regulate anti-tumor immunity in lung cancer.
  • To outline therapeutic opportunities for targeting PCD to enhance immunotherapy efficacy.
  • To explore strategies for overcoming immune resistance in lung cancer by modulating PCD.

Main Methods:

  • This review synthesizes existing literature on programmed cell death pathways and their role in lung cancer immunity.
  • Mechanistic insights into apoptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis in the context of anti-tumor immunity were analyzed.
  • Therapeutic strategies targeting PCD for enhancing immunotherapy were identified and discussed.

Main Results:

  • Apoptosis is often immune-tolerogenic, while pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis act as immunogenic cell death modalities, provoking inflammatory danger signals.
  • These PCD pathways critically influence the tumor immune microenvironment, affecting the transition between
  • cold
  • and
  • hot
  • tumors.
  • Targeting PCD mechanisms offers a promising strategy to convert non-responsive tumors into immune-sensitive states.

Conclusions:

  • Modulating programmed cell death pathways is a key strategy to overcome immune evasion and resistance in lung cancer.
  • Targeting specific PCD pathways, alone or in combination with immunotherapy, can enhance treatment efficacy.
  • Harnessing the immunogenic potential of pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis may significantly improve outcomes for lung cancer patients.
Keywords:
ApoptosisFerroptosisImmunotherapyLung cancerProgrammed cell deathPyroptosis

More Related Videos

Analysis of Combinatorial miRNA Treatments to Regulate Cell Cycle and Angiogenesis11:44

Analysis of Combinatorial miRNA Treatments to Regulate Cell Cycle and Angiogenesis

Published on: March 30, 2019

8.1K
Identifying PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors with Surface Plasmon Resonance Technology07:04

Identifying PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors with Surface Plasmon Resonance Technology

Published on: May 2, 2025

1.3K

Related Concept Videos

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
8.5K
Tumor Immunotherapy01:27

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
2.6K
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
9.2K
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
9.3K
The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:17

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated when extracellular death-inducing signals, such as specific cytokines, activate the death receptors expressed on the cell surface. The immune cells involved in this pathway are natural killer cells (NK cells) and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. NK cells are critical in innate immune response, while cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are associated with adaptive immune response. These cells recognize specific receptors expressed on the altered cells and activate...
9.5K
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine02:50

Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine

Combining two or more treatment methods increases the life span of cancer patients while reducing damage to vital organs or tissue from the overuse of a single treatment. Combination therapy also targets different cancer-inducing pathways, thus reducing the chances of developing resistance to treatment.
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
6.4K