Weekly Journal Scan : Focus on Immunotherapy this week
Highlight: Immunotherapy is gaining traction. Please refer to
your subsite section heading for updates that might interest you
Cross‑cutting immunotherapy themes
- Neoadjuvant
and peri‑operative IO is moving up‑front
- Across
HNSCC, gastric/GEJ, and esophageal cancers, early IO (often combined with
chemotherapy) is improving pathologic response and may translate into
better long‑term outcomes.ascopubs+2
- Rechallenge
and post‑IO strategies are emerging
- Evidence
in gastric cancer and HCC suggests that carefully selected patients may
still benefit from IO rechallenge or IO‑TKI combinations after initial IO
failure.frontiersin+1
- Biomarkers,
microbiome, and imaging are becoming central
- Blood‑based
proteomics, ctDNA dynamics, microbiome modulation (e.g., FMT), and
radiomics are all being actively integrated into trial design to refine
who receives which immunotherapy and when.jitc.bmj+3
Head and neck cancer (HNSCC)
- Neoadjuvant
chemo-immunotherapy is gaining traction
- Randomized
and single-arm phase II studies of neoadjuvant PD‑1–based regimens in
locally advanced HNSCC report encouraging major pathologic response (MPR)
and pathologic complete response (pCR) rates vs historic chemotherapy
alone.ascopubs+1
- Maintenance
PD‑1 blockade after achieving MPR appears to sustain high disease‑free
survival in resected locally advanced disease.ascopubs
- Advanced/recurrent
disease: novel immunotherapy strategies
- A
trial of peltopepimut‑S (HPV16 vaccine) plus cemiplimab vs cemiplimab
alone in recurrent/metastatic HPV16‑positive HNSCC did not clearly
improve response rates but provided important safety and feasibility data
for therapeutic vaccination in this setting.jitc.bmj
- First‑in‑human
pan‑ErbB–targeted intratumoral CAR‑T therapy in HNSCC demonstrates
feasibility and signals of activity, suggesting a role for cellular
therapies in heavily pretreated disease.aacrjournals
- Biomarkers
and response prediction
- Proteomic
biomarker work in HNSCC suggests dynamic plasma protein signatures may
stratify survival under anti‑PD‑1 therapy.aacrjournals
- This
supports integrating biomarker programs into IO trials to refine patient
selection and adapt therapy early.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1
Upper GI cancer (esophagus, gastric/GEJ)
- Neoadjuvant
IO plus chemotherapy for gastric/GEJ cancer
- Nivolumab
plus SOX as neoadjuvant therapy in resectable gastric/GEJ cancer shows
pCR around 20% and MPR >40%, with early overall survival highly
favorable vs historical controls.ascopubs
- Other
neoadjuvant PD‑1 combinations (e.g., prolonged IO‑chemo regimens) in high‑risk
Borrmann type 4/large type 3 gastric cancers show deep pathologic
responses and potential downstaging.ascopubs
- First‑line
metastatic gastric/GEJ disease
- Camrelizumab
(PD‑1) plus apatinib and SOX in AFP‑producing gastric/GEJ cancer yields
high objective response (≈ two‑thirds of patients) and promising median
overall survival (~18 months), suggesting a particularly active regimen
for this biologically aggressive subset.nature
- Transarterial
chemoembolization followed by PD‑1–based systemic combinations
(sintilimab + oxaliplatin + S‑1 ± HER2‑directed or anti‑angiogenic
therapy) shows meaningful disease control in gastric cancer with liver
metastases.ascopubs
- Esophageal
cancer: peri‑operative IO and bridging strategies
- Sequential
chemo‑immunotherapy for non‑complete responders after standard
neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in esophageal cancer significantly
increases pCR rates compared with proceeding directly to surgery,
challenging the immediate‑surgery paradigm.ascopubs
- ctDNA
assessment after early cycles of immunotherapy may predict radiologic
response and identify non‑responders sooner in advanced esophageal
cancer.aacrjournals
- Microbiome
and FMT to boost IO
- A
study of antibiotic‑assisted fecal microbiota transplantation followed by
ICI‑based therapy in unresectable advanced/recurrent esophageal and
gastric cancer reports feasibility and early signals of improved ICI
responsiveness, reinforcing the therapeutic importance of the gut
microbiome.tandfonline
- Immunotherapy
rechallenge
- In
advanced gastric cancer, rechallenge with ICIs (after failure of first‑line
ICI‑chemotherapy) achieves higher response and disease control than
chemotherapy alone, suggesting a role for IO beyond first progression in
selected patients.frontiersin
Hepatobiliary cancers
- Post‑IO
HCC: novel combinations
- The
FAITH phase II trial of anlotinib plus benmelstobart (PD‑L1 inhibitor) in
intermediate‑to‑advanced HCC previously treated with ICIs shows
acceptable safety and preliminary antitumor activity, supporting VEGFR‑TKI
plus IO even after prior immunotherapy exposure.ascopubs
- These
data add to the evolving second‑line landscape in HCC, where options
after first‑line IO‑based therapy remain an unmet need.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1
- Neoadjuvant
IO before liver transplantation
- Reports
of immune checkpoint inhibitors as neoadjuvant therapy prior to liver
transplantation for hepatobiliary malignancies indicate that carefully
timed IO can be delivered with manageable rejection risk and potential
tumor control benefits.ascopubs
- Such
strategies may expand transplant eligibility in borderline cases but
require rigorous multidisciplinary protocols and close post‑transplant
monitoring.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1
Non‑melanoma skin cancer (NMSC)
- Combination
and local‑regional immunotherapy
- Recent
work on combination regimens integrating photodynamic therapy with
systemic or topical immunomodulation for basal and cutaneous squamous
cell carcinomas suggests improved local control and immune activation
compared with monotherapy.jelsciences
- Topical
and intralesional immunotherapy approaches for BCC are gaining evidence,
potentially offering tissue‑sparing alternatives for selected low‑risk
lesions or medically frail patients.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
- Systemic
therapy for advanced NMSC
- Reviews
summarize the expanding role of systemic hedgehog inhibitors and PD‑1
inhibitors (e.g., cemiplimab) for advanced BCC and SCC, underlining
durable responses yet highlighting the need for sequencing and resistance‑management
strategies.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1
Bladder cancer
- Adjuvant
and multimodal IO in MIBC
- A
multidisciplinary 2025 expert report on muscle‑invasive bladder cancer
details how adjuvant immunotherapy has become integrated into standard
pathways after cystectomy for high‑risk disease, alongside neoadjuvant
chemotherapy and bladder‑sparing chemoradiation.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
- The
document emphasizes careful selection for perioperative IO, particularly
in patients with residual high‑risk pathology or contraindications to
cisplatin.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
- Radiation–immunotherapy
synergy
- Contemporary
reviews show that combining radiation with ICIs in bladder cancer can
exploit immunogenic cell death and abscopal effects, with early trials
reporting encouraging local control and systemic responses in non‑surgical
candidates.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1
- Ongoing
studies are refining dose‑fractionation and timing to maximize synergy
and minimize toxicity.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
- Broader
immunotherapy strategy in invasive disease
- A
comprehensive 2025 review of immunotherapeutic strategies for invasive
bladder cancer outlines current indications (e.g., BCG‑unresponsive
NMIBC, metastatic urothelial carcinoma) and new directions such as
antibody–drug conjugate plus IO combinations and biomarker‑driven
enrollment.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
Prostate cancer
- State
of prostate cancer immunotherapy
- Recent
analyses of emerging immunotherapies in prostate cancer highlight modest
benefit of current checkpoint inhibitors in unselected metastatic
castration‑resistant disease, with more promise seen in biomarker‑defined
subsets (e.g., MSI‑H/dMMR, high TMB).pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1
- Combination
strategies (vaccines, PARP inhibitors, radioligand therapy, or AR‑targeted
agents plus IO) are a major research focus to overcome the
immunologically “cold” tumor microenvironment.frontiersin
- Novel
and emerging approaches
- A
2025 overview of “emerging immunotherapy” in prostate cancer stresses the
potential of multi‑target vaccines, bispecific T‑cell engagers, and
engineered cell therapies, while cautioning that robust phase III data
are still limited.frontiersin
- The
key clinical message is that IO in prostate cancer should currently be
reserved for appropriate molecularly selected or trial patients, rather
than broadly applied.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+1
