Frontiers of Medicine
>> 2019,
Volume 13,
Issue 4
doi:
10.1007/s11684-018-0674-4
REVIEW
PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in cervical cancer: current studies and perspectives
. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011,China.. Department of Integration of Western and Traditional Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China
Accepted: 2019-03-04
Available online: 2019-03-04
Next
Previous
Abstract
Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most commonly diagnosed female malignancy and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, especially in developing countries. Despite the use of advanced screening and preventive vaccines, more than half of all CC cases are diagnosed at advanced stages, when therapeutic options are extremely limited and side effects are severe. Given these circumstances, new and effective treatments are needed. In recent years, exciting progress has been made in immunotherapies, including the rapid development of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Checkpoint blockades targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis have achieved effective clinical responses with acceptable toxicity by suppressing tumor progression and improving survival in several tumor types. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway, including the expression patterns of PD-1/PD-L1 and potential PD-1/PD-L1-related therapeutic strategies for CC.