Authors : Shaik Mufasera; Sanaboina Harika Durga Sri

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/4323bf59

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25may1116

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Cancer has been one of the most significant public health problems globally for many years, with chemotherapy being the standard treatment for decades. In recent times, immunotherapy has become a promising new option with major clinical advantages, especially in cancers that have historically been refractory to therapy. This review discusses the recent progress in chemotherapy and immunotherapy, their mechanisms, therapeutic effects, and limitations. Moreover, this review also discusses the extent to which combination is feasible between these two treatment modalities in order to enhance clinical results and minimize toxicity. New therapies and current clinical trials are also presented, reflecting future trends in cancer therapy and the potential of personalized medicine in oncology.

Keywords : Immunotherapy, Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, Cancer Treatment, Chemotherapy.

References :

1. Hanahan D. and Weinberg R.A.: Hallmarks of cancer: The next generation, Cell, 2011, 144(5), 646–674.
2. Siegel R.L., Miller K.D. and Jemal A.: Cancer statistics, 2020, CA Cancer J. Clin., 2020, 70(1), 7–30.
3. Ferlay J., Ervik M., Lam F., Colombet M., Mery L., Piñeros M., Znaor A., Soerjomataram I. and Bray F.: Estimating the global cancer incidence and mortality in 2018: GLOBOCAN sources and methods, Int. J. Cancer, 2019, 144(8), 1941–1953.
4. Holohan C., Van Schaeybroeck S., Longley D.B. and Johnston P.G.: Cancer drug resistance: An evolving paradigm, Nat. Rev. Cancer, 2013, 13(10), 714–726.
5. Longley D.B. and Johnston P.G.: Molecular mechanisms of drug resistance, J. Pathol., 2005, 205(2), 275–292.
6. Sharma P. and Allison J.P.: Immune checkpoint targeting in cancer therapy: Toward combination strategies with curative potential, Cell, 2015, 161(2), 205–214.
7. June C.H., O’Connor R.S., Kawalekar O.U., Ghassemi S. and Milone M.C.: CAR T cell immunotherapy for human cancer, Science, 2018, 359(6382), 1361–1365.
8. Ribas A. and Wolchok J.D.: Cancer immunotherapy using checkpoint blockade, Science, 2018, 359(6382), 1350–1355.
9. Maude S.L., Laetsch T.W., Buechner J., Rives S., Boyer M., Biondi A., Rodrigues F., Davis K.L., Martin P.L., Naim A. and Grupp S.A.: Tisagenlecleucel in children and young adults with B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia, N. Engl. J. Med., 2018, 378(5), 439–448.
10. Huehls A.M., Coupet T.A. and Sentman C.L.: Bispecific T-cell engagers for cancer immunotherapy, Immunol. Cell Biol., 2015, 93(3), 290–296.
11. Postow M.A., Sidlow R. and Hellmann M.D.: Immune-related adverse events associated with immune checkpoint blockade, N. Engl. J. Med., 2018, 378(2), 158–168.
12. Mullard A.: FDA approves fourth CAR-T cell therapy, Nat. Rev. Drug Discov., 2021, 20(3), 166.
13. Galluzzi L., Vitale I., Warren S., Adjemian S., Agostinis P., Martinez A.B., Chan T.A., Coukos G., Demaria S., Deutsch E. and Kroemer G.: The hallmarks of successful anticancer immunotherapy, Sci. Transl. Med., 2020, 12(548), eaav9788.
14. Chen D.S. and Mellman I.: Elements of cancer immunity and the cancer–immune set point, Nature, 2017, 541(7637), 321–330.
15. Paz-Ares L., Luft A., Vicente D., Tafreshi A., Gümüş M., Mazières J., Hermoso E.A., Czibere A., Rodríguez-Abreu D., Robinet G. and Novello S.: Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy for squamous non–small-cell lung cancer, N. Engl. J. Med., 2018, 379(21), 2040–2051.
16. Gandhi L., Rodríguez-Abreu D., Gadgeel S., Esteban E., Felip E., De Angelis F., Domine M., Clingan P., Hochmair M.J., Powell S.F. and Cheng S.Y.: Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer, N. Engl. J. Med., 2018, 378(22), 2078–2092.
17. Brahmer J.R., Govindan R., Anders R.A., Antonia S.J., Sagorsky S., McDermott D., Redman M.W., Bhatia S., Chow L.Q., Harshman L.C. and Jain R.K.: Nivolumab versus docetaxel in advanced squamous-cell non–small-cell lung cancer, N. Engl. J. Med., 2015, 373(2), 123–135.
18. Hellmann M.D., Ciuleanu T.E., Pluzanski A., Lee J.S., Otterson G.A., Audigier-Valette C., Minenza E., Linardou H., Burgers S., Salman P. and Borghaei H.: Nivolumab plus ipilimumab in lung cancer with a high tumor mutational burden, N. Engl. J. Med., 2018, 378(22), 2093–2104.
19. Fehrenbacher L., Spira A., Ballinger M., Kowanetz M., Vansteenkiste J., Mazieres J., Park K., Smith D., Artal-Cortes A., Lewanski C. and Braiteh F.: Atezolizumab versus docetaxel for patients with previously treated non-small-cell lung cancer, Lancet, 2016, 387(10030), 1837–1846.
20. Robert C., Schachter J., Long G.V., Arance A., Grob J.J., Mortier L., Daud A., Carlino M.S., McNeil C., Lotem M. and Larkin J.: Nivolumab in previously untreated melanoma without BRAF mutation, N. Engl. J. Med., 2015, 372(4), 320–330.
21. Hodi F.S., O'Day S.J., McDermott D.F., Weber R.W., Sosman J.A., Haanen J.B., Gonzalez R., Robert C., Schadendorf D., Hassel J.C. and Akerley W.: Improved survival with ipilimumab in patients with metastatic melanoma, N. Engl. J. Med., 2010, 363(8), 711–723.
22. Rosenberg J.E., Hoffman-Censits J., Powles T., van der Heijden M.S., Balar A.V., Necchi A., Dawson N., O'Donnell P.H., Balmanoukian A., Loriot Y. and Srinivas S.: Atezolizumab in patients with locally advanced and metastatic urothelial carcinoma, Lancet, 2016, 387(10031), 1909–1920.
23. Wolchok J.D., Chiarion-Sileni V., Gonzalez R., Rutkowski P., Grob J.J., Cowey C.L., Lao C.D., Wagstaff J., Schadendorf D., Ferrucci P.F. and Smylie M.: Overall survival with combined nivolumab and ipilimumab in advanced melanoma, N. Engl. J. Med., 2017, 377(14), 1345–1356.
24. Herbst R.S., Soria J.C., Kowanetz M., Fine G.D., Hamid O., Gordon M.S., Sosman J.A., McDermott D.F., Powderly J.D., Gettinger S.N. and Kohrt H.E.: Predictive correlates of response to the anti-PD-L1 antibody atezolizumab in non-small-cell lung cancer, Nature, 2014, 521(7553), 321–326.
25. Ribas A., Hamid O., Daud A., Hodi F.S., Wolchok J.D., Kefford R., Joshua A.M., Patnaik A., Hwu W.J., Weber J.S. and Gangadhar T.C.: Association of pembrolizumab with tumor response and survival among patients with advanced melanoma, JAMA, 2016, 315(15), 1600–1609.
26. Antonia S.J., Villegas A., Daniel D., Vicente D., Murakami S., Hui R., Kurata T., Chiappori A., Lee K.H., de Wit M. and Cho B.C.: Durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy in stage III non–small-cell lung cancer, N. Engl. J. Med., 2017, 377(20), 1919–1929.
27. Palucka K. and Coussens L.M.: The basis of oncoimmunology, Cell, 2016, 164(6), 1233–1247.
28. Schreiber R.D., Old L.J. and Smyth M.J.: Cancer immunoediting: Integrating immunity’s roles in cancer suppression and promotion, Science, 2011, 331(6024), 1565–1570.
29. Choudhury N.J., Campanile A., Antczak A., Petrylak D.P., Stein M.N. and Rosenberg J.E.: The evolving role of immunotherapy in bladder cancer, Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol., 2021, 18(1), 23–34.
30. Ott P.A., Hodi F.S., Buchbinder E.I., Claus C.M. and Haq R.: Combination immunotherapy: A road map, J. Immunother. Cancer, 2017, 5(1), 16.