Gynecological cancers
Novel early clinical approaches in solid tumors
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells have proven to be effective in the clinic for patients with malignant B-cell tumors but their application for solid tumors is challenging. BNT211 is a novel therapeutic approach which comprises two components: CAR-T cells targeting the Claudin 6 (CLDN6) and a CLDN6-encoding CAR-T cell amplifying RNA vaccine (CARVac).
Established and novel chemo-free combinations in immuno-oncology
Immunotherapy was the major breakthrough in the treatment of lung cancer in the past years. The PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab is approved for the treatment of various tumor entities including advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (a/mNSCLC). Lenvatinib, a multikinase inhibitor and antineoplastic agent that is so far approved for certain solid tumors but not NSCLC, already showed promising antitumoral effects and a manageable safety profile when combined with pembrolizumab in a phase I/II trial.
Emerging landscape and treatment options in breast cancer
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide in women; in 2020, almost 2.3 million people were diagnosed, and more than half a million died from BC.
Highlights in cervical cancer
In 2020, more than 600,000 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed. Its mortality rate reached 57 % with more than 340,000 deaths; cervical cancer was the ninth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and therefore a concerning global health issue. In young women (aged 15 to 44 years), it is the second most common cancer and cause of cancer death.
Early insights for CPI combinations in solid tumors
mmunotherapy using anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs), which is a major therapeutic option in oncology, can potentially achieve synergistic effects once combined with targeted therapies. Drugs targeting proangiogenic factors, such as VEGF and angiopoietin 2 (ANG2), can improve therapeutic responsiveness through their immunosuppressive activity in the tumor environment.
Anti-PD-1 compounds targeting MSI-H/dMMR tumors
Accurate and timely repair of DNA is essential for maintaining genetic stability. Microsatellites are repetitive DNA sequences and particularly prone to replication errors that are normally repaired by the mismatch repair system. Mismatch repair-deficient tumors (dMMR) harbor many mutations in microsatellites, resulting in high levels of microsatellite instability (MSI-H).
PARP- and anti-PD-1-based strategies in breast and cervical cancer
Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer death in females. It has been recently shown that approximately 38 % of female patients younger than 40 years presenting with triple-negative breast carcinomas (TNBC) harbored a germline mutation in breast cancer (BC) susceptibility genes 1 or 2 (gBRCA1/2m).
Checkpoint inhibition: predictors, resistance and immunogenomic features
Immune checkpoints, such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) or programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), downregulate T-cell responses and are crucial for self-tolerance, which protects the body against attacking cells indiscriminately. Tumor cells hijack this mechanism to evade the immune system through the activation of immune checkpoints and inhibition of the T-cell response.