Usage of Immunotherapy in NSCLC

Abstract

NSCLC is a very potent subtype of cancer, responsible for about 1.6 million deaths worldwide, annually. In order to combat NSCLC, immunotherapy has begun to be an increasingly viable option for people who have been diagnosed with the disease. Some treatments include the usage of ICI (Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors), e.g. where proteins like the cell-death receptor (PD-1) have been targeted, and faound to have fewer side effects, as well as Tyrosine inhibitors that block EGFR and ALK mutations. Despite these many treatments, there are still many obstacles that prevent immunotherapy from being completely used in the treatment of NSCLC, such as a more immunosuppressive environment, less cytotoxic t-cells, and weak antigen presentation. These challenges, however, can be overcome through a variety of techniques like CD47 blockade to enhance macrophage-mediated phagocytosis, and combining the CD47 inhibitors with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Though these treatments are only available to patients who have progressed onto the next stage of NSCLC. Furthermore, there include certain criteria for someone to be a part of a clinical trial for NSCLC, such as not having autoimmune diseases, prior immunotherpy exposure, organ dysfunction, etc. Future criteria are being broadened to include more patients in order to better reflect populations.