Open AccessReview
Overview of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Gynecological Cancer Treatment
by
1,2, 1,3, 1 and 1,2,*
1
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
2
Division of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Centre, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
3
Department of Medical Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Rebecca A Previs
Received: 6 January 2022
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Revised: 24 January 2022
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Accepted: 26 January 2022
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Published: 27 January 2022
Simple Summary
Recently, cancer treatment has been revolutionized by introduction of immunotherapy—drugs that target body’s immune system to attack cancer. Most clinically used drugs stop the mechanisms that dampen immune response. These drugs are called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). ICIs in gynecological cancers are most effective for treating uterine endometrial cancer, but less so far ovarian, uterine cervical or vulvar cancer. However, combining ICIs with other drugs has yielded good results in some studies in these cancers. Stopping mechanisms that dampen immune response can produce severe side effects, as has been seen with the use of ICIs. Therefore, selection of patients that would benefit the most from ICI therapy is of paramount importance. This can be done by analysing tumour characteristics either by looking at protein expression, genetic changes and even constitution of faecal microbiota, these properties are called biomarkers. It is not entirely known which biomarkers predict response most accurately, and this varies by cancer type. In this article, we review mechanisms of action of ICIs, selected biomarkers and latest clinical trials of ICIs in gynecological cancers.