Cited by 96Glioma Diagnosis and TreatmentCancer Immunotherapy and BiomarkersImmunotherapy and Immune Responses

Challenges in glioblastoma immunotherapy: mechanisms of resistance and therapeutic approaches to overcome them

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Habashy, Karl John, Mansour, Rana, Moussalem, Charbel, Sawaya, Raymond, Massaad, Michel J.·2022·British Journal of Cancer

Abstract

Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive primary malignant brain tumour. The prognosis of patients with glioblastoma is poor, and their overall survival averages at 1 year, despite advances made in cancer therapy. The emergence of immunotherapy, a strategy that targets the natural mechanisms of immune evasion by cancerous cells, has revolutionised the treatment of melanoma, lung cancer and other solid tumours; however, immunotherapy failed to improve the prognosis of patients with glioblastoma. This is attributed to the fact that glioblastoma is endowed with numerous mechanisms of resistance that include the intrinsic resistance, which refers to the location of the tumour within the brain and the nature of the blood-brain barrier, as well as the adaptive and acquired resistance that result from the tumour heterogeneity and its immunosuppressive microenvironment. Glioblastoma is notorious for its inter and intratumoral heterogeneity, which, coupled with its spatial and temporal evolution, limits its immunogenicity. In addition, the tumour microenvironment is enriched with immunosuppressive cells and molecules that hinder the reactivity of cytotoxic immune cells and the success of immunotherapies. In this article, we review the mechanisms of resistance of glioblastoma to immunotherapy and discuss treatment strategies to overcome them worthy of further exploration.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41416-022-01864-w

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196 of 196 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Tumour cell heterogeneity and an immunosuppressive microenvironment contribute to primary GBM immunoresistance, which dampens anti-tumour responses by macrophages and T cells.

    “Tumour cell heterogeneity and an immunosuppressive microenvironment contribute to primary GBM immunoresistance, which dampens anti-tumour responses by macrophages and T cells [7, 10].”
  • Checkpoint inhibitors against CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 have shown only very limited benefits in patients with GBM.

    “Immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD ligand 1 (PD-L1) have represented a major advancement in the treatment of several types of solid tumour; however, these treatments have shown only very limited benefits in patients with GBM [7–9].”

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Authors
Habashy, K. J., Mansour, R., Moussalem, C., Sawaya, R., & Massaad, M. J.
Affiliations
  • American University of Beirut (LB)
  • American University of Beirut Medical Center (LB)
Corresponding author
Massaad, Michel J.
Venue
British Journal of Cancer
Published
2022-06-04
Volume
127
Issue
6
Pages
976-987
ISSN
  • 0007-0920 (ISSN-L)
  • 1532-1827
OpenAlex
W4281661874
Cited by
95
References
197
Citations by year
2026: 29 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 3
FWCI
2.82
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • British Journal of Cancer (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Genetics › Glioma Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
Keywords
glioblastoma, cancer immunotherapy, immunotherapy resistance, blood-brain barrier, tumor heterogeneity, tumor microenvironment, immunosuppression, immune evasion, brain tumors
MeSH terms
Brain Neoplasms, Glioblastoma, Humans, Immunologic Factors, Immunotherapy, Tumor Microenvironment

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