Novel Insights into Cancer Immune Responsiveness

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer immunotherapies have transformed the landscape of cancer treatment, offering new hope for patients. However, a considerable number still exhibit resistance to these therapies. Over the past two decades, researchers have worked to understand and overcome these challenges, driving advancements in precision medicine and combination strategies. The evolution of cancer immunotherapy began in 1891 when surgeon William Coley successfully treated a cancer patient using a nonspecific toxin composed of heat-killed bacteria. In the 1980s, Steven Rosenberg and his team pioneered adoptive cell therapy (ACT), utilizing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) to treat melanoma patients. Their groundbreaking work provided the first clear evidence that the immune system could be leveraged to boost the effectiveness of cancer treatments. Since then, a wide range of cancer immunotherapies—from broad nonspecific treatments to precisely targeted approaches—have been evaluated. In 2010, significant progress in immunotherapy emerged—with developments like checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cell therapy, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving the first cell-based vaccine for treating metastatic prostate cancer. The following year, the FDA granted approval for the first checkpoint inhibitor drug, an anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody, ipilimumab, for treating metastatic melanoma. In 2013, cancer immunotherapy was named as the “Breakthrough of the Year”. PD-1 inhibitors and bispecific T-cell engagers received their first approval from the FDA in 2014. In 2015, CAR-T cells demonstrated promising results in blood cancers, and by 2017, the first CAR-T therapy was approved for treating young adult and pediatric patients. James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo, whose groundbreaking research laid the foundation for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), were honored with the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of cancer therapy through the inhibition of negative immune regulation. Their work revolutionized cancer treatment by harnessing the body's immune system to combat tumors. As of today, there is at least one checkpoint inhibitor approved for treating more than twenty cancer types. This Special Issue highlights the rapidly evolving landscape of cancer immunotherapy, focusing on key areas such as immune targets and CAR- and TCR-engineered T-cell therapies for various cancer types.

Dr. Luigi Racioppi
Dr. Tanmoy Mondal
Guest Editors

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• cancers
• tumors
• immune cells
• tumor immunology
• cancer immunology
• onco-immunology
• immunotherapies
• resistance
• immunotherapy resistance
• immune checkpoint
• CAR
• antibody
• cancer vaccines