Phase II Study of Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab with Platinum-Based Chemotherapy for Treatment-Naïve Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with Untreated Brain Metastases: NIke Trial (LOGiK2004)

Harnessing immunotherapy for brain metastases: insights into tumor-brain microenvironment interactions and emerging treatment modalities

Brain metastases signify a deleterious milestone in the progression of several advanced cancers, predominantly originating from lung, breast and melanoma malignancies, with a median survival timeframe nearing six months. Existing therapeutic regimens yield suboptimal outcomes; however, burgeoning insights into the tumor microenvironment, particularly the immunosuppressive milieu engendered by tumor-brain interplay, posit immunotherapy as a promising avenue for ameliorating brain metastases. In this review, we meticulously delineate the research advancements concerning the microenvironment of brain metastases, striving to elucidate the panorama of their onset and evolution. We encapsulate three emergent immunotherapeutic strategies, namely immune checkpoint inhibition, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell transplantation and glial cell-targeted immunoenhancement. We underscore the imperative of aligning immunotherapy development with in-depth understanding of the tumor microenvironment and engendering innovative delivery platforms. Moreover, the integration with established or avant-garde physical methodologies and localized applications warrants consideration in the prevailing therapeutic schema.

Immunotherapy-based therapy as a promising treatment for EGFR-mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients after EGFR-TKI resistance

INTRODUCTION

Traditionally, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been regarded as a cold tumor based on the immunosuppressive tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). However, recent studies have found that EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) treatment could shift host immunity from immunosuppressive to immunosupportive TIME, which has renewed hopes of immunotherapy.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, we highlight five main immunotherapy-based therapies for patients after EGFR-TKI failure, including safety and efficacy data from prospective and retrospective clinical studies.

EXPERT OPINION

The efficacy of immunotherapy alone is extremely limited. Immunotherapy plus chemotherapy show an ORR of 29.5%-59.3% and an mPFS of about 7 months. There is still scarce evidence for immunotherapy plus antiangiogenesis therapy. A combination of immunotherapy with EGFR-TKIs exhibits higher treatment-related adverse events and lower clinical outcomes compared to EGFR-TKI alone. Importantly, immunotherapy plus antiangiogenesis and chemotherapy achieves an mPFS of 6.9-10.2 months. In general, the strategy of combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy and/or an antiangiogenic drug is a novel and promising method for treating advanced NSCLC after EGFR-TKI failure. Therefore, the dominant population of EGFR-TKI resistant patients were characterized by EGFR uncommon mutation, EGFR L858R mutation, PD-L1 ≥ 50%, prior antiangiogenic drugs, and negative T790 M mutation for immunotherapy-based therapy.