REVIEW OF APPROACHES TO IMMUNOTHERAPY IN ONCOLOGY

• Published in: Issledovaniâ i praktika v medicine Vol. 4; no. 3; pp. 51 - 65
• Main Authors: Tsarev, I. L., Melerzanov, A. V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: QUASAR, LLC 21-09-2017
• Subjects: adaptive cell therapy; checkpoint inhibitors; immunotherapy of malignant tumors; oncoimmunology; precision medicine; precision oncology
• ISSN: 2409-2231; 2410-1893
• DOI: 10.17709/2409-2231-2017-4-3-5

The article discusses modern ideas about the immune therapy of cancer — methods of treatment of oncological diseases based on immunological reactions of the organism to the appearance of malignant cells in it. This area is actively studied in clinical practice in the last decade, and some therapy has already been approved for use by regulators after promising results of clinical trials 3 phase.
Immune therapy is based on antitumor immune cycle — the cascade of processes responsible for the immune system’s response to tumor cells. Involved regulatory mechanisms are targets for various therapies, the overall goal is to restore proper functioning of the cycle and to achieve the elimination of cancer cells.
Currently, the most studied two types of immune therapy — checkpoint inhibitors and adaptive cell therapy. Checkpoint inhibitors increase the activity of body immune cells, reducing the inhibitory influence of the tumor microenvironment and the tumor cells themselves, which allowed them to get out from under the pressure of the immune system during the development of the disease. Adaptive cell therapy, in turn, allows to compensate the lack of active immune against tumor cells.
Mechanisms of action determine the effectiveness of various therapies for different diseases, and for patients inside of one diagnosis. To determine the effectiveness of other treatment prior to a particular patient it is necessary to use the latest achievements in precision medicine, based on the search for new biomarkers and analyzing each patient separately. This approach will significantly reduce costs and save precious time for the patient.