Immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance in soft tissue sarcoma

Abstract

The emergence of immunotherapy as a cancer therapy has dramatically changed the treatment paradigm of systemic cancer therapy. There have been several trials evaluating immune checkpoint blockade (ICI) in soft tissue sarcoma. While there is generally a limited response in sarcoma, a subset of patients has durable responses to immunotherapy. This is attributable to a variety of factors including histologic subtype, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and the tumor microenvironment among others. There is ongoing translational and clinical research evaluating ICI resistance in sarcoma and identifying therapeutic strategies to overcome this resistance. Herein, we provide a review of the current data, proposed mechanisms of resistance, and potential approaches to overcome this resistance.