1. The role of immunotherapy in esophageal and gastric cancer
- Author
-
Hans Dedecker, Laure-Anne Teuwen, Timon Vandamme, Andreas Domen, and Hans Prenen
- Subjects
Oncology ,Gastroenterology ,Human medicine - Abstract
Upper gastrointestinal tract tumors historically have a poor prognosis. The decision to treat esophageal or gastric cancers by surgery, radiotherapy, systemic therapy, or a combination of these treatment modalities should always be discussed multidisciplinary. The introduction of immunotherapy has drastically transformed the treatment landscape of multiple solid malignancies. Emerging data from early and late phase clinical trials suggests that the use of immunother-apies that target immune checkpoint proteins such as PD-1/PD-L1 result in superior overall survival in advanced, metastatic, or recurrent esophageal and gastric cancer, whether or not with specific molecular characteristics such as PD-L1 expression level or microsatellite instability. This review offers an overview of the most recent advances in the field of immunotherapy treatment in esophageal and gastric cancer.
- Published
- 2023