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Bicer F, Kure C, Ozluk AA, El-Rayes BF, Akce M. Advances in Immunotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Curr Oncol 2023; 30:9789-9812. [PMID: 37999131 PMCID: PMC10670350 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30110711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. More than half of patients with HCC present with advanced stage, and highly active systemic therapies are crucial for improving outcomes. Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapies have emerged as novel therapy options for advanced HCC. Only one third of patients achieve an objective response with ICI-based therapies due to primary resistance or acquired resistance. The liver tumor microenvironment is naturally immunosuppressive, and specific mutations in cell signaling pathways allow the tumor to evade the immune response. Next, gene sequencing of the tumor tissue or circulating tumor DNA may delineate resistance mechanisms to ICI-based therapy and provide a rationale for novel combination therapies. In this review, we discuss the results of key clinical trials that have led to approval of ICI-based therapy options in advanced HCC and summarize the ongoing clinical trials. We review resistance mechanisms to ICIs and discuss how immunotherapies may be optimized based on the emerging research of tumor biomarkers and genomic alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuat Bicer
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA;
| | - Catrina Kure
- Department of Medicine, Northside Hospital-Gwinnett, Lawrenceville, GA 30046, USA;
| | - Anil A. Ozluk
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA; (A.A.O.); (B.F.E.-R.)
| | - Bassel F. El-Rayes
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA; (A.A.O.); (B.F.E.-R.)
| | - Mehmet Akce
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA; (A.A.O.); (B.F.E.-R.)
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Kazemi MH, Najafi A, Karami J, Ghazizadeh F, Yousefi H, Falak R, Safari E. Immune and metabolic checkpoints blockade: Dual wielding against tumors. Int Immunopharmacol 2021; 94:107461. [PMID: 33592403 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.107461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in cancer immunotherapy have raised hopes for treating cancers that are resistant to conventional therapies. Among the various immunotherapy methods, the immune checkpoint (IC) blockers were more promising and have paved their way to the clinic. Tumor cells induce the expression of ICs on the immune cells and derive them to a hyporesponsive exhausted phenotype. IC blockers could hinder immune exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment and reinvigorate immune cells for an efficient antitumor response. Despite the primary success of IC blockers in the clinic, the growing numbers of refractory cases require an in-depth study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying IC expression and function. Immunometabolism is recently found to be a key factor in the regulation of immune responses. Activated or exhausted immune cells exploit different metabolic pathways. Tumor cells can suppress antitumor responses via immunometabolism alteration. Therefore, it is expected that concurrent targeting of ICs and immunometabolism pathways can cause immune cells to restore their antitumor activity. In this review, we dissected the reciprocal interactions of immune cell metabolism with expression and signaling of ICs in the tumor microenvironment. Recent findings on dual targeting of ICs and metabolic checkpoints have also been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Hossein Kazemi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Immunology Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Alireza Najafi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Immunology Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Jafar Karami
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Laboratory Sciences, Khomein University of Medical Sciences, Khomein, Iran.
| | - Foad Ghazizadeh
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Hassan Yousefi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, LSUHSC School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA.
| | - Reza Falak
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Immunology Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Elahe Safari
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Immunology Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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