Immunotherapy in gastric cancer-A systematic review.

[BACKGROUND] Gastric Cancer (GC) is the 5th most prevalent and 4th most deadly neoplasm globally. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment approach in GC, potentially improving positive clinical outcomes while addressing the limitations of conventional therapies. GC immunotherapy modalities consist of adoptive cell therapy (ACT), cancer vaccines, and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI).

[OBJECTIVES] This systematic review aims to provide an overview of the advances in immune-based therapeutic approaches in GC, highlighting the potential of this therapy as a strategy for GC treatment.

[METHODS] Key studies investigating several immunotherapeutic agents and combination therapies were searched in PUBMED and included in this study. Specific cancer outcomes related to disease progression or survival were analyzed.

[RESULTS] After screening 236 studies, the results revealed that immunotherapy, particularly the ICI pembrolizumab, demonstrated promising efficacy in the treatment of GC, as several studies reported improved OS, PFS, and objective response rate with the use of pembrolizumab alone or in combination with other treatment modalities.

[CONCLUSION] Safety analysis showed that immunotherapy was mostly well-tolerated, with manageable adverse events and relatively good safety profiles. Nonetheless, further research is required to understand the mechanisms of tumor resistance better and identify predictive biomarkers that can direct treatment optimization.