Female Malignancies and Immunotherapy: What’s New?

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 11553

Special Issue Editors

Department of Experimental Medicine (DI.ME.S.), Histology Section, University of Genoa, Via G.B. Marsano 10, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Interests: human immunology; innate immunity; human natural killer cells; tumor immunology; immunotherapy; immune checkpoints
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
1. Department of Integrated Surgical and Diagnostic Sciences (DISC), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
2. Anatomic Pathology University Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
Interests: gynecologic pathology; placental & fetal pathology; molecular pathology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Experimental Medicine (DI.ME.S.), Histology Section, University of Genoa, Via G.B. Marsano 10, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Interests: human natural killer cells; NK cell receptors; activating NK receptors; NKG2A; KIRs; PD-1; cancer immunosurveillance; cancer biology; tumor microenvironment; microRNAs; immunotherapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Current emerging therapies for solid tumors include various immunotherapeutic approaches, like immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)(1), that have gained considerable attention because of their impressive treatment outcomes in different tumor types. Unfortunately, benefits have been seen only in a small percentage of patients with solid tumors. For this reason, it is strictly necessary to implement our knowledge on immune checkpoints (ICs) and on the tumor microenvironment.

In the cancer treatment context, T cells have always been considered to be primarily responsible for the beneficial effect of immunotherapy. However, NK cells are also now seen as a promising cancer immunotherapy tool, due to their ability to kill malignant cells without toxicity towards healthy cells. However, cancers develop escape strategies to alter immune cells’ anti-tumor activity.

Among existing cancers, female malignancies represent annoyances in terms of diagnosis and clinical approaches efficacy. Indeed, female tumors are often characterized by an immunosuppressive tumor environment, able to resist not only an immune system attack, but also advanced immunotherapeutic approaches. The scope of this Special Issue is to contribute to dissecting the molecular and cellular immunological mechanisms involved in female malignancies’ progression and metastasis. This information will provide new insights that are crucial for the development of new immunotherapeutic strategies and for the improvement of combination strategies in patient-specific female cancers’ treatments.

Dr. Silvia Pesce
Prof. Valerio Gaetano Vellone
Prof. Emanuela Marcenaro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • breast
  • ovarian and cervical and uterine oncology
  • natural killer cells
  • immunotherapy
  • cancer immunology

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Review

3 pages, 174 KiB  
Editorial
Female Malignancies and Immunotherapy: What’s New?
by Silvia Pesce, Valerio Gaetano Vellone and Emanuela Marcenaro
Cancers 2020, 12(10), 2909; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers12102909 - 10 Oct 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1068
Abstract
For many years, the therapeutic advances in gynecological neoplasms have remained steady, however, in recent years, the application of the most modern “-omics” sciences has shed light on the pathogenesis and on neoplastic progression, with important implications in the introduction of targeted treatments [...] Read more.
For many years, the therapeutic advances in gynecological neoplasms have remained steady, however, in recent years, the application of the most modern “-omics” sciences has shed light on the pathogenesis and on neoplastic progression, with important implications in the introduction of targeted treatments that are more effective and less toxic [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Female Malignancies and Immunotherapy: What’s New?)

Review

Jump to: Editorial

12 pages, 281 KiB  
Review
Role of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Cervical Cancer: From Preclinical to Clinical Data
by Simona Duranti, Antonella Pietragalla, Gennaro Daniele, Camilla Nero, Francesca Ciccarone, Giovanni Scambia and Domenica Lorusso
Cancers 2021, 13(9), 2089; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13092089 - 26 Apr 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2543
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the recognized cause of almost all cervical cancers. Despite the reduction in incidence due to a wide use of screening programs and a specific vaccine, the prognosis of cervical cancer remains poor, especially for late-stage and relapsed disease. [...] Read more.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the recognized cause of almost all cervical cancers. Despite the reduction in incidence due to a wide use of screening programs and a specific vaccine, the prognosis of cervical cancer remains poor, especially for late-stage and relapsed disease. Considering the elevated rates of PD-L1 expression in up to 80% of cervical cancers, a strong rationale supports the use of immunotherapy to restore the immune response against tumor. The aim of this review is to analyze the possible role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cervical cancer treatment, with a particular focus on the rationale and on the results of phase I and II clinical trials. An overview of ongoing phase III studies with possible future areas of development is also provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Female Malignancies and Immunotherapy: What’s New?)
13 pages, 428 KiB  
Review
New Insights into Endometrial Cancer
by Laura Paleari, Silvia Pesce, Mariangela Rutigliani, Marco Greppi, Valentina Obino, Franco Gorlero, Valerio Gaetano Vellone and Emanuela Marcenaro
Cancers 2021, 13(7), 1496; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13071496 - 24 Mar 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 7219
Abstract
EC is the most common cancer in the female genital tract in developed countries, and with its increasing incidence due to risk factors, such as aging and obesity, tends to become a public health issue. Although EC is a hormone-dependent neoplasm, there are [...] Read more.
EC is the most common cancer in the female genital tract in developed countries, and with its increasing incidence due to risk factors, such as aging and obesity, tends to become a public health issue. Although EC is a hormone-dependent neoplasm, there are no recommendations for the determination of steroid hormone receptors in the tumor tissue and no hormone therapy has ever been assessed in the adjuvant setting. Furthermore, its immune environment has been slightly characterized, but recent evidences point out how EC microenvironment may increase self-tolerance by reducing the recruitment of cytotoxic immune cells to the tumor site and/or modifying their phenotype, making these cells no longer able to suppress tumor growth. Here we highlight insights for EC management from diagnosis to a desirable trend of personalized treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Female Malignancies and Immunotherapy: What’s New?)
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