OnCo
termsTerm

Immuno-oncology (IO) and checkpoint blockade

aka I-O, immuno-oncology, checkpoint blockade, immune checkpoint blockade, ICB, ICI, ICIs, PD-1 blockade, PD-(L)1, PD-(L)1 blockade, PD-1/PD-L1, anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA-4, anti-PD(L)1, chemo-IO, chemo-immunotherapy, chemoimmunotherapy, IO-based, IO-naive, post-IO, IO-refractory, immunotherapy-refractory, immunotherapy-resistant, dual checkpoint blockade, dual immune checkpoint blockade, IO combination, IO + chemo

Treatments that take the brakes off the patient's own immune system so it attacks the cancer, chiefly antibodies against PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4. 'IO' is industry shorthand; 'chemo-IO' means chemotherapy plus a checkpoint inhibitor, the commonest first-line combination.

Since ipilimumab (2011) and pembrolizumab/nivolumab (2014), checkpoint inhibitors have become standard in melanoma, lung, kidney, bladder, head and neck, liver, gastric, oesophageal, cervical, endometrial, triple-negative breast and MSI-high cancers, and in curative settings before and after surgery. Benefit tracks PD-L1 expression, tumour mutational burden and MSI status but imperfectly; 'cold' tumours (pancreatic, prostate, MSS colorectal, most glioblastoma) remain resistant, and roughly 40% of responders eventually progress. Immune-related adverse events affect any organ. Next steps include LAG-3, TIGIT (mixed), PD-1×VEGF bispecifics (ivonescimab), and combining IO with ADCs.

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Treatment jargon

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