Is immunotherapy in the future of therapeutic management of sarcomas?

J Transl Med. 2021 Apr 26;19(1):173. doi: 10.1186/s12967-021-02829-y.

Abstract

Sarcomas are rare, ubiquitous and heterogeneous tumors usually treated with surgery, chemotherapy, target therapy, and radiotherapy. However, 25-50% of patients experience local relapses and/or distant metastases after chemotherapy with an overall survival about 12-18 months. Recently, immuno-therapy has revolutionized the cancer treatments with initial indications for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and melanoma (immune-checkpoint inhibitors).Here, we provide a narrative review on the topic as well as a critical description of the currently available trials on immunotherapy treatments in patients with sarcoma. Given the promising results obtained with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies (pembrolizumab and nivolumab) and CAR-T cells, we strongly believe that these new immunotherapeutic approaches, along with an innovative characterization of tumor genetics, will provide an exciting opportunity to ameliorate the therapeutic management of sarcomas.

Keywords: Anti-cancer vaccine; CAR-T therapy; Immunotherapy; Osteosarcoma; Soft tissue sarcoma.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung*
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy
  • Lung Neoplasms*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
  • Sarcoma* / therapy