It is estimated that there were 18.1 million
cancer cases worldwide in 2018, with about 9 million deaths. Proper diagnosis of
cancer is essential for its effective treatment because each type of
cancer requires a specific treatment procedure.
Cancer therapy includes one or more approaches such as surgery,
radiotherapy,
chemotherapy, and
immunotherapy. In recent years,
immunotherapy has received much attention and
immune checkpoint molecules have been used to treat several
cancers. These molecules are involved in regulating the activity of T lymphocytes. Accumulated evidence shows that targeting immune checkpoint regulators like PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 are significantly useful in treating
cancers. According to studies, these molecules also have pivotal roles in the chemoresistance of
cancer cells. Considering these findings, the combination of
immunotherapy and
chemotherapy can help to treat
cancer with a more efficient approach. Among
immune checkpoint molecules, the B7 family checkpoints have been studied in various
cancer types such as
breast cancer, myeloma, and
lymphoma. In these
cancers, they cause the cells to become resistant to the chemotherapeutic agents. Discovering the exact signaling pathways and selective targeting of these checkpoint molecules may provide a promising avenue to overcome
cancer development and
therapy resistance. Highlights: (1) The development of resistance to
cancer chemotherapy or
immunotherapy is the main obstacle to improving the outcome of these anti-
cancer therapies. (2) Recent investigations have described the involvement of
immune checkpoint molecules in the development of
cancer therapy resistance. (3) In the present study, the molecular participation of the B7 immune checkpoint family in anticancer
therapies has been highlighted. (4) Targeting these
immune checkpoint molecules may be considered an efficient approach to overcoming this obstacle.