Combining targeted therapy with immunotherapy. Can 1+1 equal more than 2?

Combining targeted therapy with immunotherapy (interferon-α)

Imatinib revolutionized gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) treatment but median-progression-free-survival of unresectable/metastatic disease is < 2 y. B-RAF(V600)-mutated-melanoma responds to vemurafenib dramatically but median-progression-free-survival is < 9 mo. Combining imatinib with immunotherapy (peginterferon α-2b) in GIST showed significant induction of antitumor immunity and highly ...

Universes collide: combining immunotherapy with targeted therapy for cancer.

UNLABELLED There have been significant advances in the past several years with regard to targeted therapy and immunotherapy for cancer. This is highlighted in melanoma, where treatment with targeted therapy (against the BRAF oncoprotein) results in responses in the majority of patients, although the duration of response is limited. In contrast, treatment with immunotherapy results in a lower re...

Improvement of Cancer Immunotherapy by Combining Molecular Targeted Therapy

In human cancer cells, a constitutive activation of MAPK, STAT3, β-catenin, and various other signaling pathways triggers multiple immunosuppressive cascades. These cascades result in the production of immunosuppressive molecules (e.g., TGF-β, IL-10, IL-6, VEGF, and CCL2) and induction of immunosuppressive immune cells (e.g., regulatory T cells, tolerogenic dendritic cells, and myeloid-derived ...

When some are more equal than others.

Combining Immunotherapy with Oncogene-Targeted Therapy: A New Road for Melanoma Treatment

Cutaneous melanoma arises from the malignant transformation of skin melanocytes; its incidence and mortality have been increasing steadily over the last 50 years, now representing 3% of total tumors. Once melanoma metastasizes, prognosis is somber and therapeutic options are limited. However, the discovery of prevalent BRAF mutations in at least 50% of melanoma tumors led to development of BRAF...