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Review
. 2024 May 24;16(11):1995.
doi: 10.3390/cancers16111995.

Current and Future Trends of Colorectal Cancer Treatment: Exploring Advances in Immunotherapy

Taxiarchis Konstantinos Nikolouzakis  1 , Emmanuel Chrysos  1 , Anca Oana Docea  2 , Persefoni Fragkiadaki  3 , John Souglakos  4 , John Tsiaoussis  5 , Aristidis Tsatsakis  3
Affiliations
Review

Current and Future Trends of Colorectal Cancer Treatment: Exploring Advances in Immunotherapy

Taxiarchis Konstantinos Nikolouzakis et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Cancer of the colon and rectum (CRC) has been identified among the three most prevalent types of cancer and cancer-related deaths for both sexes. Even though significant progress in surgical and chemotherapeutic techniques has markedly improved disease-free and overall survival rates in contrast to those three decades ago, recent years have seen a stagnation in these improvements. This underscores the need for new therapies aiming to augment patient outcomes. A number of emerging strategies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and adoptive cell therapy (ACT), have exhibited promising outcomes not only in preclinical but also in clinical settings. Additionally, a thorough appreciation of the underlying biology has expanded the scope of research into potential therapeutic interventions. For instance, the pivotal role of altered telomere length in early CRC carcinogenesis, leading to chromosomal instability and telomere dysfunction, presents a promising avenue for future treatments. Thus, this review explores the advancements in CRC immunotherapy and telomere-_targeted therapies, examining potential synergies and how these novel treatment modalities intersect to potentially enhance each other's efficacy, paving the way for promising future therapeutic advancements.

Keywords: adoptive cell therapy; checkpoint inhibitors; colorectal cancer; immunotherapy; telomeres; therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A graphical presentation of T cells infiltrating a tumor site in MSI-H CRC as a result of the increased mutational burden induced by the deficient mismatch repair system.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Graphical presentation of T-cell activation through the PD1/CTLA-4 pathway. Dendritic cells are able to activate T cells through the cross talk of the transmembrane proteins MHC II and TCR/CD4. However, this activating interaction can be canceled downstream if PD-L1/2 and CD80/86 expressed on the surface of dendritic cells connect with PD-1 and CTLA-4, respectively. This deactivating action can be counteracted through the inhibition of anti-PD-1/antiCTLA-4 antibodies. This allows activated T cells to enter the tumor microenvironment and eliminate cancer cells.
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