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Current status of immunotherapy for gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Cancer Gene Therapy volume 24, pages 130–133 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) contain tumor-infiltrating immune cells and their presence provides an opportunity and rationale for developing effective forms of immunotherapy. The types of tumor-infiltrating inflammatory cells and relevant immune checkpoint inhibitors are the focus of active investigation. The most numerous tumor-infiltrating inflammatory cells are tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and CD3+ T cells. Studies have shown that patients with GISTs that harbor increased numbers of CD3+ T cells have better outcomes. However, the clinical behavior of GIST has not been shown to correlate with the number of TAMs. The biological significance of other less frequent tumor-infiltrating immune cells including tumor-infiltrating neurtrophils (TINs), natural killer cells (NKs), B cells, dendritic cells (DCs) remains unclear. The immune checkpoint inhibitors CTLA-4, PD1/PDL1 and TIM3/galectin-9 are molecules that can be targeted by synthesized antibodies. Clinical and pre-clinical trials using this approach against immune checkpoint inhibitors, anti-KIT antibody and the generation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells have shown promising results. The treatment of GIST with immunotherapy is complex and evolving; this article reviews its current status for patients with GISTs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Jackson Memorial Hospital, and University of Miami Hospital, Miami, Florida, USA

    Y Tan, D A Kerr & A E Rosenberg

  2. Department of Hematology/Oncology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Jackson Memorial Hospital, and University of Miami Hospital, Miami, Florida, USA

    J C Trent & B A Wilky

  3. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA

    J C Trent, B A Wilky, D A Kerr & A E Rosenberg

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  1. Y Tan
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  2. J C Trent
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  5. A E Rosenberg
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Correspondence to A E Rosenberg.

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Tan, Y., Trent, J., Wilky, B. et al. Current status of immunotherapy for gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Cancer Gene Ther 24, 130–133 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/cgt.2016.58

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