Germ cell tumors (GCTs) represent a heterogeneous neoplasm family affecting gonads and rarely occurring in extragonadal areas. Most of patients have a good prognosis, often even in the presence of metastatic disease; however, in almost 15% of cases, tumor relapse and platinum resistance are the main challenges. Thus, novel treatment strategies with both improved antineoplastic activity and minor treatment-related adverse events compared with platinum are really expected. In this context, the development and the high activity demonstrated by immune checkpoint inhibitors in solid tumors and, subsequently, the interesting results obtained from the use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-) T cell therapy in hematological tumors, have stimulated research in this direction also in GCTs. In this article, we will analyze the molecular mechanisms underlying the immune action in the development of GCTs, and we will report the data from the studies that tested the new immunotherapeutic approaches in these neoplasms.
Frontiers in immunology. 2023 Feb 13*** epublish ***
Giuseppe Schepisi, Caterina Gianni, Maria Concetta Cursano, Valentina Gallà, Cecilia Menna, Chiara Casadei, Sara Bleve, Cristian Lolli, Giovanni Martinelli, Giovanni Rosti, Ugo De Giorgi
Department of Medical Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy., Unit of Biostatistics and Clinical Trials, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy.