- Cancer immunotherapy has evolved significantly since the 2013 Breakthrough of the Year, with exponential growth in new approaches like ICIs, ADCs, BiTES, CAR-T, and vaccines.
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) like anti-PD-1 show partial effects; new targets (TIGIT, LAG-3) and combinations are being developed to overcome resistance.
- Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTES) are expanding rapidly, with over 300 investigational ADCs and 500+ BiTES in the pipeline.
- Cell therapies (CAR-T, TILs) have succeeded in blood cancers but face challenges in solid tumors; strategies include using NK cells, CAR-macrophages, and in vivo delivery.
- Cancer vaccines are divided into treatment vaccines (personalized neoantigens) and interception vaccines for high-risk individuals (e.g., Lynch syndrome, BRCA mutations).
- Future directions focus on assessing immune system health (thymus score, proteomic clocks) and non-invasive tumor microenvironment (TME) analysis via liquid biopsy to guide therapy.
- Interception vaccines may be used for cancer prevention in people with high-risk genetic variants or poor immune health, potentially reducing reliance on traditional treatments.