Cancer Is Treated With Immuno-Oncology Drugs That Target The Body's Own Defenses, The Immune System

 

Immuno-Oncology Drugs

Cancer is a complex and heterogeneous disease that poses a significant challenge to global health. Over the years, extensive research and technological advancements have led to the development of various treatment modalities, including surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy. Among these, immuno-oncology drugs have emerged as a groundbreaking approach, harnessing the power of the immune system to combat cancer. In recent years, Immuno-oncology Drugs have shown tremendous potential in overcoming cancer resistance, a major obstacle in successful cancer treatment.

According To Coherent Market Insights, The Global Immuno-Oncology Drugs Market Is Estimated To Be Valued At US$ 17,394.2 Million In 2022 And Is Expected To Exhibit A CAGR Of 16.8% During The Forecast Period (2022-2030).

Cancer resistance refers to the ability of tumor cells to evade the effects of conventional cancer therapies, rendering them less effective or completely ineffective. Resistance mechanisms can arise due to various factors, including genetic alterations, tumor heterogeneity, and the dynamic nature of the tumor microenvironment. Traditional treatment modalities, such as chemotherapy and targeted therapies, often encounter resistance mechanisms that limit their long-term efficacy. Thus, there is a critical need for novel therapeutic strategies that can overcome cancer resistance and improve patient outcomes.

Immuno-oncology Drugs, also known as immunotherapies, are designed to enhance the body's immune response against cancer cells. They work by either stimulating the immune system or removing the barriers that prevent the immune system from recognizing and attacking cancer cells.

The two main classes of Immuno-Oncology Drugs are immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies.

1.      Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) target specific proteins on immune cells or cancer cells that regulate immune responses. By blocking these proteins, ICIs help to restore and enhance the anti-tumor immune response. Key checkpoint proteins targeted by ICIs include programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4). Clinical trials have demonstrated remarkable efficacy of ICIs in various cancer types, including melanoma, lung cancer, bladder cancer, and kidney cancer. However, resistance to ICIs can occur due to multiple factors, such as tumor mutational burden, tumor immune microenvironment, and immune escape mechanisms.

2.      CAR T-cell Therapies: CAR T-cell therapies involve engineering a patient's own immune cells to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that specifically target cancer cells. CARs are synthetic receptors that combine an antigen recognition domain with T-cell activating signaling domains. Once infused back into the patient, CAR T-cells recognize and eliminate cancer cells expressing the targeted antigen. CAR T-cell therapies have shown remarkable success in hematological malignancies, particularly in the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). However, challenges in solid tumors, such as immune evasion and lack of tumor-specific antigens, have limited their widespread use in these malignancies.