• Special Issue Topic

    Immune Checkpoint Therapy and Biomarkers in Cancer

    Submission Deadline: December 31, 2024

    Guest Editor

    Prof. Eyad Elkord E-Mail

    Professor, Department of Applied Biology, College of Science, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Honorary Professor, Biomedical Research Center, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Manchester, UK

    Research Keywords: tumor immunology; cancer immunotherapy; immunosuppression; T regulatory cells; immune checkpoints; cancer epigenetics


    About the Special Issue

    Immune evasion is a major hallmark of cancer, which is mediated via different mechanisms. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is highly immunosuppressive, which limits antitumor immunity and supports tumor growth and progression. High expression of immune checkpoints in the tumor microenvironment plays significant roles in inhibiting anti-tumor immunity, which is associated with cancer progression. Recent data showed that expression of various immune checkpoints in Treg/T cell subsets and other immune cells could play different roles in tumor progression and prognoses of cancer patients, which could serve as independent predictive biomarkers in patients. Monoclonal antibodies targeting immune checkpoints provided an immense breakthrough in cancer therapeutics. Recent reports have shown that patients with various malignancies benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitor treatments. However, the main drawback of immune checkpoint therapy in cancer is the low response rate and immune-related adverse events. This emphasizes the need for identification of reliable biomarkers for increasing response rate and lowering immune-related adverse events. 

    The aim of this special issue is to present studies and review articles focusing on immune checkpoints in cancer, immune checkpoint therapeutics, mechanism of action of immune checkpoint inhibitors, biomarkers and resistance mechanisms to immune checkpoint inhibitors, and potential strategies to enhance immune and clinical response rates in cancer patients. 

    Keywords: Immune checkpoint; cancer; immune checkpoint inhibitors; biomarkers; resistance mechanisms; tumor microenvironment

    Call for Papers

    Published Articles

    Open Access
    Original Article
    Concomitant exposure to benzodiazepines during pembrolizumab-based therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a propensity-score matched analysis of monitoring agency data
    Aim: The interaction of concomitant benzodiazepine (BZD) exposure during immune checkpoint blockade has not been comprehensively investigated to date. This research aimed to determine the influen [...] Read more.
    Fabrizio Nelli ... Agnese Fabbri
    Published: January 20, 2025 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2025;6:1002287
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2025.1002287
    View:36
    Download:8
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Original Article
    Analysis of the benefit of anti-PD-1 monotherapy according to NGS-diagnosed genetic alterations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer
    Aim: Immune checkpoint inhibitors improved the survival of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. However, only 20% of patients respond to these treatments and the search for predictive biomarkers  [...] Read more.
    Hortense De Saint Basile ... Elizabeth Fabre
    Published: December 18, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:1435–1449
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00283
    View:387
    Download:27
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Review
    Blood-based circulating biomarkers for prediction of immune-checkpoint inhibitors efficacy in renal cell carcinoma
    Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI)-based combinations have become the standard first-line treatment for advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Despite significant improvements in survival [...] Read more.
    Loubna Omri ... Lucía Carril-Ajuria
    Published: September 20, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:1199–1222
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00271
    View:788
    Download:34
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Review
    Hepatobiliary complications of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer
    Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have dramatically changed the landscape of cancer therapy. Over the last decade, both their primary focus in trials and clinical application have exponentially ri [...] Read more.
    Donna Zhuang ... Stephen Riordan
    Published: July 26, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:955–970
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00257
    View:768
    Download:19
    Times Cited: 0