Recent Advances in Immunotherapy and Molecular Targeted Therapy for Gastric Cancer

Abstract

Our increasing understanding of the molecular biological characteristics of cancer and of cancer genomics is facilitating the development of immunotherapy and molecular targeted drugs for gastric cancer. After the approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for melanoma in 2010, many different cancers have been shown to respond to such treatments. Thus, the anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab was reported to prolong survival in 2017, and ICIs have become the mainstay of treatment development. Many clinical trials of combination therapies with cytotoxic agents and molecular-targeted agents, as well as combinations of immunotherapeutic agents acting via different mechanisms, are currently underway for each treatment line. As a result, further improvements in therapeutic outcomes for gastric cancer are anticipated in the near future.

Plain Language Summary

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common malignant tumor and also ranks fourth as a cause of death from cancer. However, even with chemotherapy, prognosis is limited to 12–15 months.

The recent development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) encourages optimism that these may represent novel standards-of-care for AGC, with clear clinical benefits. Many clinical trials of combination therapies with cytotoxic agents and molecular-targeted agents, as well as combinations of immunotherapeutic agents, are currently underway for each treatment line. As a result, further improvements in therapeutic outcomes for gastric cancer are anticipated in the near future.

Keywords:

• anti-PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors
• gastric cancer
• immune checkpoint inhibitors
• immunotherapy
• molecular targeted therapy

Author contributions

All authors participated in the writing the review. Y Yoshinami and H Shoji wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

H Shoji reports research fund from Ono pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, MSD, Astellas, Amgen, Daiichi Sankyo, and Takeda, paid consulting or advisory roles for Ono pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, outside the submitted work. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.