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Chapter 59 - Immunotherapy for Gynaecological Cancers

from Section 12 - Miscellaneous

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2021

By
Miguel Henriques Abreu  and
Marta Ferreira
Edited by
Tahir Mahmood ,
Charles Savona-Ventura ,
Ioannis Messinis  and
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Tahir Mahmood
Affiliation:
Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
Charles Savona-Ventura
Affiliation:
University of Malta, Malta
Ioannis Messinis
Affiliation:
University of Thessaly, Greece
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Affiliation:
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, UK
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Summary

Gynaecological cancers comprise a huge variety of tumours. In the three main organs (endometrium, cervix and ovary), tumours differ in biology and molecular features, explaining the differences in tumour behaviour. However, in all of them, effective treatment options for advanced disease are urgently needed. Immunotherapy could be one such strategy. The goal of immunotherapy is to promote antitumour immune responses by stimulating the host immune system, by enhancing immune response, by relieving immune suppression by the host immune system or by immunomodulation.

Until now, immune checkpoints inhibitors that modulate one of the most important pathways of tumour immune escape presented the most robust efficacy data, but many trials are still ongoing and are expected to provide important knowledge in the coming years.

In future, clinicians will be able to recognize immunotherapy toxicities early on and better deal with them, while appropriate patient selection for these therapeutics will allow a more personalized treatment approach.

Keywords

cancergynaecologyimmunotherapycervixovaryendometrium
Type
Chapter
Information
The EBCOG Postgraduate Textbook of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Gynaecology
 , pp. 503 - 512
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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