GM-CSF: Anti-Cancer Immune Response and Therapeutic Application

Abstract

A primary focus of cancer therapeutics today is precision, or target directed, therapy. Combination treatment with precision therapy can involve both immune and signal pathway targets. One approach involving the chemokine GMCSF involves enhancement of the immune system. Herein is a review of the literature and the current therapeutic role of GM-CSF, including the proposed immune mechanisms and potential applications of GM-CSF to enhance anticancer immunotherapy. GM-CSF’s potent effects on dendritic cell activation and subsequent stimulation of T-lymphocyte activity make it an attractive potential addition to combination therapeutic regimens, including radiation therapy, oncolytic viral therapy, immune checkpoint inhibition, and autologous tumor vaccines, and warrants further clinical exploration, with an emphasis on identifying concomitant molecular pathways that mediate resistance and sensitivity to the GM-CSF effect.