EOMES/TBET and soluble CTLA4 /full length CTLA4 expression ratios impact on the therapeutic response in patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Soluble immune checkpoint molecules in cancer risk, outcomes prediction, and therapeutic applications

Immunotherapy has emerged as a pivotal modality in cancer treatment, with immune checkpoint inhibitors effectively combating malignancies by impeding crucial pathways within the immune system and stimulating patients' immune responses. Soluble forms of immune checkpoints exhibit a remarkable diversity and can be readily tracked in circulation, holding immense potential as biomarkers for cancer treatment. An increasing number of studies focused on soluble immune checkpoints in cancer have emerged thanks to technological advancements. In this systematic review, we comprehensively summarized the recent studies on soluble immune checkpoints in human cancer risk prediction, outcome prediction, therapeutic applications, and potential molecular mechanisms, which demonstrated the promising future of soluble immune checkpoints in clinical applications. The clinical relevance of soluble immune checkpoints has been recognized in multiple cancers, yet the therapeutic applications and mechanisms remain obscure. Interpreting the impacts and mechanisms of soluble immune checkpoints could shed a light on the novel strategies of cancer screening, treatments, and outcome prediction.

Safety and Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Children and Young Adults with Haematological Malignancies: Review and Future Perspectives

Despite the marked improvement in overall survival rates of paediatric patients with haematological malignancies that has been achieved during the last decades, there is still a pressing need for novel therapeutic approaches for the subset of patients with relapsed or refractory disease. Immune checkpoint inhibitors aim to induce potent anti-tumour immune responses by targeted blockade of inhibitory receptors and have shown great promise in preclinical models and studies in the adult population. However, paediatric malignancies present unique features and so far, experience with these agents remains limited. In the current review we present an overview of efficacy and safety data from case reports, case series and clinical trials employing the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in children, adolescents and young adults with haematological malignancies. We also discuss new possibilities involving novel targets and combination treatments and provide a summary of the currently registered clinical trials.

Immune checkpoint inhibition in classical hodgkin lymphoma

Introduction: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) accounts for 10% of lymphoma cases every year. HL is often curable by conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, in case of relapsed or refractory HL (r/r HL) after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT), few treatment options are currently available. Blockade of the immune checkpoint receptors, programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1), or cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) expressed on T-cells, and their ligands expressed on tumor-associated antigen-presenting cells (APCs), and Hodgkin and Reed/Sternberg (HRS) cells can remove inhibitory signals from anti-tumor T cells. Checkpoint blockade using monoclonal antibodies could be a potential treatment. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab are approved antibodies for the treatment of r/r HL.Areas covered: This paper provides a comprehensive discussion of checkpoint inhibitors in HL treatment, including the most important clinical trials with mono- or combination therapies as a first or second-line treatment of HL.Expert opinion: Relatively high response rates and an acceptable safety profile of checkpoint inhibitors make them an effective therapy for HL. The combination of checkpoint inhibition with other conventional cancer treatments and identifying the mechanisms responsible for resistance to checkpoint inhibition may improve the efficacy and safety of this immunotherapy, and enhance patient quality of life.