Open AccessImmunotherapy in Advanced Gastroesophageal Tumors: The Best of the Current Knowledge
Author(s) -
Sara De Dosso
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
healthbook times. oncology hematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2673-2106
pISSN - 2673-2092
DOI - 10.36000/hbt.oh.2019.02.008
Subject(s) - pembrolizumab , microsatellite instability , medicine , immunotherapy , biomarker , oncology , pd l1 , cancer , chemotherapy , gastroesophageal junction , biology , adenocarcinoma , allele , biochemistry , microsatellite , gene
Gastroesophageal cancers have a poor prognosis despite the use of novel therapies, such as chemotherapy combinations and biologic agents. Recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have also been introduced into the treatment landscape. The programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor, pembrolizumab, for instance, has been approved in the USA in 2017, with the indication of advanced gastric and esophageal programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive tumors, as well as for deficient mismatch repair or microsatellite instability-high (dMMR/MSI-H) solid tumors.1,2 Signals of outstanding efficacy were particularly observed in biomarker selected populations.3 Hence, there is an urgent need to identify precise predictive biomarkers for optimal patient selection and to establish more effective treatment timings. The present review summarizes the current clinical evidence supporting treatment with ICIs in upper GI tumors.