Review on breast cancer immunotherapy

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy consists of approaches that modify the host immune system, and/or the utilization of components of the immune system for treatment and prevention of cancer. Eventhough breast cancer has historically not been considered a favorable target for immunotherapies as compared to those solid tumors such as melanoma and renal cell carcinoma, several preclinical and clinical studies have provided important insights and clinical data that support its potential to improve clinical outcomes for patients with breast cancer. In addition, the recent definition of tumor-specific immunity in breast cancer patients and the identification of several breast cancer antigens has generated enthusiasm for the application of immune based therapies to the treatment of breast malignancies. In general, immunotherapies can be considered either non-specific, such as cytokine, or tumor specific for example a vaccine that targets breast cancer tumor antigens. Current immunotherapeutic approaches either through immunization of the patient (e.g., by administering a cancer vaccine), in which case the patient’s own immune system is trained to recognize tumor cells as targets to be destroyed, or through the administration of therapeutic antibodies as drugs, in which case the patient’s immune system is recruited to destroy tumor cells by the therapeutic antibodies, Cell based immunotherapy is another major entity of cancer immunotherapy. The review concluded that immunotherapeutic approaches combined with novel sequences of chemotherapies, radiation, and immunomodulating agents hold promise for enhancing the treatment of breast cancer.