Cancer Immunotherapy Beyond Checkpoint Blockade: JACC: CardioOncology State-of-the-Art Review.

Avoidance of immune destruction is recognized as one of the hallmarks of cancer development. Although first predicted as a potential antitumor treatment modality more than 50 years ago, the widespread clinical use of cancer immunotherapies has only recently become a reality. Cancer immunotherapy works by reactivation of a stalled pre-existing immune response or by eliciting a de novo immune response, and its toolkit comprises antibodies, vaccines, cytokines, and cell-based therapies. The treatment paradigm in some malignancies has completely changed over the past 10 to 15 years. Massive efforts in preclinical development have led to a surge of clinical trials testing innovative therapeutic approaches as monotherapy and, increasingly, in combination. Here we provide an overview of approved and emerging antitumor immune therapies, focusing on the rich landscape of therapeutic approaches beyond those that block the canonical PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 axes and placing them in the context of the latest understanding of tumor immunology.
Competing Interests: This work was supported by the Emerson Collective and a Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award. Dr Gill is named as an inventor on multiple CAR T–related patents. Dr Welty has reported that he has no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.
(© 2022 The Authors.)