Immunotherapy with Checkpoint Inhibitors for Lung Cancer: Novel Agents, Biomarkers and Paradigms

ABSTRACT

Despite recent advances, prognosis of patients with advanced lung cancer remains dismal. Owing to a better understanding of the interactions between immune system and tumor cells, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy. After the recent approval of nivolumab and the promising results with other immune checkpoint inhibitors, combination strategies are now subject of intensive research. Notwithstanding these successes, immunotherapy still holds significant drawbacks. As the target shifts from tumor cells to the tumor microenvironment, treatment paradigms are changing and several improvements are needed for optimal use in clinical practice. Robust biomarkers for patient selection and a reliable way of evaluating treatment response are high priorities. Herein we review current data on immune checkpoint inhibitors for lung cancer treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• biomarkers
• immune-related response criteria
• immunotherapy
• lung cancer
• nivolumab

Author contributions

I Monteiro and RA de Mello designed the article. I Monteiro, R Califano, G Mountzios and RA de Mello wrote separated parts of the manuscript after discussing and sharing tasks. All authors participated in the literature search, data collection, analysis and interpretation. R Califano, G Mountzios and RA de Mello discussed in person the data concerning this manuscript at European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) 2015, Geneva, Switzerland. All authors reviewed the final version of the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

R Califano has received honoraria from Bristol Myers Squibb, MSD, Roche and AstraZeneca. G Mountzios has received honoraria from Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche and AstraZeneca. RA de Mello has received honoraria from Pfizer Advisory Board, National Science Centre, Krakow, Poland, and educational grant from Pierre Fabre. RA de Mello is ad hoc consultant at Ministry of Health, Brasília, Brazil. 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.