Immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer brain metastases.

Abstract

ABSTRACT:

Lung cancer has the highest risk of brain metastasis (BM) among all solid carcinomas. The emergence of BM has a significant impact on the selection of oncologic treatment for patients. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are the most promising treatment option for patients without druggable mutations and have been shown to improve survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) BM in clinical trials with good safety. Moreover, ICI has shown certain effects in NSCLC BM, and the overall intracranial efficacy is comparable to extracranial efficacy. However, a proportion of patients showed discordant responses in primary and metastatic lesions, suggesting that multiple mechanisms may exist underlying ICI activity in BM. According to studies pertaining to tumor immune microenvironments, ICIs may be capable of provoking immunity in situ . Meanwhile, systematic immune cells activated by ICIs can migrate into the central nervous system and exert antitumor effects. This review summarizes the present evidence for ICI treatment efficacy in NSCLC BM and proposes the possible mechanisms of ICI treatment for NSCLC BMs based on existing evidence.

• Authors: Yuxi Wei, Yan Xu, Mengzhao Wang
• Journal: Chinese medical journal (Chin Med J (Engl)) Vol. 136 Issue 13 Pg. 1523-1531 (Jul 05 2023) ISSN: 2542-5641 [Electronic] China
• PMID: 37106555 (Publication Type: Review, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2023 The Chinese Medical Association, produced by Wolters Kluwer, Inc. under the CC-BY-NC-ND license.

Chemical References

• Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Topics

• Humans
• Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung (drug therapy)
• Lung Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (therapeutic use)
• Brain Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Carcinoma
• Tumor Microenvironment