Anti-programmed death receptor 1 immunotherapy in melanoma: rationale, evidence and clinical potential.

ABSTRACT: Malignant melanoma is a significant public health problem; according to 2013 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data, its average incidence rate rose 2.6% each year for the last decade, and it is now the fifth most common cancer diagnosis in the United States. The rising incidence and historical poor response to chemotherapy have led to intense investigation of novel treatments for melanoma, including therapies to improve the immune-mediated destruction of cancer cells. Among the hallmarks of malignancy is the ability to evade this process: while early stages of tumor growth can induce functional CD8+ T-cell responses, cancer cells become increasingly embedded in an immune-suppressive tumor stroma. In the tumor microenvironment, T-cell proliferation and effector function are impai

SUBMITTER: Freeman-Keller M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4265090 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature