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Advancing Immunotherapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer

  • Breast Cancer (ML Telli, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

Despite many advances in the treatment of breast cancer, the development of metastatic disease remains an incurable and frequent cause of cancer death for women worldwide. An improved understanding of the role of host immunosurveillance in modulating breast cancer disease biology, as well as impressive survival benefits seen to checkpoint blockade in other malignancies have provided great hope for an expanding role of immunotherapies in breast cancer management. While these novel therapies are currently being investigated in clinical trials, signals of efficacy, and tolerability in early phase studies suggest these will eventually make their way into standard practice algorithms. Ongoing research has highlighted a high degree of intertumoural heterogeneity in tumour lymphocytic infiltrates, suggesting some tumours or subtypes are more immunogenic than others. Furthermore, tumour intrinsic mechanisms of immune evasion are beginning to be uncovered, potentially representing key therapeutic targets to use in combination with checkpoint blockade, exemplifying the emerging concept of personalised medicine approaches to immune therapies. Subsequently, different immunotherapeutic strategies may be required based on stratification by these factors—for the minority of tumours with a high level of pre-existing immunity, immune checkpoint blockade monotherapy may be sufficient. However, for the majority of tumours with lower levels of pre-existing immunity, combination approaches will likely be required to achieve maximal therapeutic effect. Results of ongoing clinical trials including combinations with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapies are eagerly awaited.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, University of Melbourne, 305 Grattan St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia

    Mariam Mansour PhD, Zhi Ling Teo PhD, Stephen J. Luen MD & Sherene Loi MD

  2. Sir Peter MacCallum, Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia

    Mariam Mansour PhD, Zhi Ling Teo PhD & Sherene Loi MD

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  4. Sherene Loi MD
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Correspondence to Sherene Loi MD.

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Mansour, M., Teo, Z.L., Luen, S.J. et al. Advancing Immunotherapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 18, 35 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-017-0478-9

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