Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Esophageal Cancer

Perihan PERKİNa , Gökhan UÇARa
aAnkara Bilkent City Hospital, Clinic of Medical Oncology, Ankara, Türkiye

Perkin P, Uçar G. Immune checkpoint inhibitors for esophageal cancer. In: Şendur MAN, ed. Current Immunotherapy Landscape for Solid Tumors. 1st ed. Ankara: Türkiye Klinikleri; 2024. p.72-6.

ABSTRACT
Esophageal cancer (EC) is the eighth-most common cancer and the sixth-most common cause of cancer releated death worldwide. Esophageal cancer, often diagnosed at an advanced local or metastatic stage when symptoms manifest, demonstrates low cure rates despite multimodal treatment options. For early-stage (Tis, T1a) tumors, endoscopic treatment options can be preferred, whereas for local and locally advanced esophageal cancer, determining the optimal treatment plan requires a multidisciplinary assessment. The positive effectiveness and safety of ICIs were initially shown through single-arm, Phase II clinical trials as salvage monotherapy in patients with advanced esophageal cancer. Following these promising outcomes, direct comparison Phase III clinical trials for each immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) against standard chemotherapy were carried out in the secondline treatment setting. With ongoing and upcoming studies, it is anticipated that immunotherapy’s role in treatment will continue to expand, potentially altering the prognosis of esophageal cancer positively in the future.

Keywords: Esophagus cancer; immunotherapy; chemotherapy

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