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World J Clin Oncol. Apr 10, 2017; 8(2): 145-150
Published online Apr 10, 2017. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v8.i2.145
Immunotherapies in sarcoma: Updates and future perspectives
Marwan Ghosn, Elie El Rassy, Hampig Raphael Kourie
Marwan Ghosn, Elie El Rassy, Hampig Raphael Kourie, Department of Oncology, Hotel Dieu de France University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut 2038 3054, Lebanon
Author contributions: Ghosn M initiated the review; Ghosn M, El Rassy E and Kourie HR performed the review, analyzed the data and wrote first draft; Ghosn M, El Rassy E and Kourie HR reviewed and commented on the paper and provided final approval.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Elie El Rassy, MD, Department of Oncology, Hotel Dieu de France University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Monot St, Beirut, PO Box 166830, Beirut 2038 3054, Lebanon. elie.rassy@hotmail.com
Telephone: +961-1-615300 Fax: +961-1-615300
Received: September 20, 2016
Peer-review started: September 23, 2016
First decision: October 20, 2016
Revised: November 15, 2016
Accepted: January 16, 2017
Article in press: January 18, 2017
Published online: April 10, 2017
Abstract

Sarcomas are malignant tumors that are characterized by a wide diversity of subtypes with various cytogenetic profiles. Despite major treatment breakthroughs, standard treatment modalities combining chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery failed to improve overall survival. Therefore, high expectations are foreseen with immunotherapy upon its maturation and better understanding of its mechanism of action. This paper presents a targeted review of the published data and ongoing clinical trials in immunotherapies of sarcomas, mainly adoptive cell therapies, cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Keywords: Adoptive cell therapy, Cancer vaccines, Immunotherapy, Immune checkpoint inhibitors, Sarcoma

Core tip: This paper is a review that outlines the most recent updates on the immunotherapy treatment of sarcomas. After a brief review of the concept of immunotherapies and the different treatment modalities, we discuss the available data, the limitations and future perspectives of each treatment option.