Open AccessImmunotherapy: Pancreatic Cancer and Extrahepatic Biliary Tract Cancer
Author(s) -
Lukas Perkhofer,
Alica Beutel,
Thomas Jens Ettrich
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
visceral medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.598
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 2297-475X
pISSN - 2297-4725
DOI - 10.1159/000497291
Subject(s) - immunotherapy , medicine , pancreatic cancer , immune system , cancer , stroma , tumor microenvironment , biliary tract cancer , biliary tract , clinical trial , oncology , cancer research , immunology , gemcitabine , immunohistochemistry
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and extrahepatic biliary tract cancer (BTC) are among the malignancies with the highest morbidity and mortality. Despite increasing knowledge on biology and novel therapies, outcome remains poor in these patients. Recent progress in immunotherapies created new hopes in the treatment of PDAC and extrahepatic BTC. Several trials tested immunotherapies in various therapeutic situations as monotherapies or in combinations. Although responses were seen in some of the trials, the value of immunotherapy in PDAC and extrahepatic BTC remains unclear in the current situation, especially regarding the complex biological characteristics with a high stroma component, intrinsic resistance mechanisms and an immunosuppressive, hypoxic microenvironment. These major hurdles have to be taken into account and overcome if immunotherapies should be successful in these tumor entities. Thereby, combinational approaches that allow on the one hand targeted therapy and on the other restore or boost the function of immune cells are promising.