Combining conventional therapy with immunotherapy: A risky business?

A Coosemans; A Vankerckhoven; T Baert; L Boon; H Ruts; M Riva; S Blagden; M Delforge; N Concin; M R Mirza; J A Ledermann; A du Bois; I Vergote

doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2019.02.014

Combining conventional therapy with immunotherapy: A risky business?

Eur J Cancer. 2019 May:113:41-44. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2019.02.014. Epub 2019 Apr 6.

Authors

A Coosemans¹, A Vankerckhoven², T Baert³, L Boon⁴, H Ruts⁵, M Riva⁶, S Blagden⁷, M Delforge⁸, N Concin⁹, M R Mirza¹⁰, J A Ledermann¹¹, A du Bois¹², I Vergote¹³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Leuven Cancer Institute, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, ImmunOvar Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: an.coosemans@kuleuven.be.
² Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, ImmunOvar Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: ann.vankerckhoven@kuleuven.be.
³ Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, ImmunOvar Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Kliniken Essen Mitte (KEM), Department of Gynaecology and Gynaecologic Oncology, Essen, Germany. Electronic address: T.Baert@kliniken-essen-mitte.de.
⁴ Bioceros BV, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: l.boon@bioceros.com.
⁵ Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, ImmunOvar Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: hanne.ruts@hotmail.com.
⁶ Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, ImmunOvar Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: matteo.riva@kuleuven.be.
⁷ Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Electronic address: sarah.blagden@oncology.ox.ac.uk.
⁸ Department of Haematology, Leuven Cancer Institute, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: michel.delforge@uzleuven.be.
⁹ Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria. Electronic address: nicole.concin@i-med.ac.at.
¹⁰ Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: Mansoor.Raza.Mirza@regionh.dk.
¹¹ UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: j.ledermann@ucl.ac.uk.
¹² Kliniken Essen Mitte (KEM), Department of Gynaecology and Gynaecologic Oncology, Essen, Germany. Electronic address: prof.dubois@googlemail.com.
¹³ Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Leuven Cancer Institute, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Tumour Immunology and Immunotherapy, ImmunOvar Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: Ignace.vergote@uzleuven.be.

PMID: 30965214
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2019.02.014

Abstract

Because of the failure of immunotherapy as single agent in a number of cancers, current clinical trials are focusing on combining immunotherapy with other therapies. The most frequently chosen combination for immunotherapy is chemotherapy. However, almost no preclinical data on this combination is available. Some studies even showed a dismal effect of combining chemotherapy with immunotherapy. Taken into account that each of the therapies chosen in a combination will influence the cancer cells but also immune effector cells as well as immunosuppressive cells, and that these three partners will also interact with each other, launching a combination to the patient without proper immune monitoring and preclinical evidence might be devastating.

Keywords: Chemotherapy; Combination; Immunotherapy; Survival; Tumor immunology.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological / therapeutic use*
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
Humans
Neoplasms / drug therapy*
Neoplasms / immunology
Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological