Immunological off-target effects of standard treatments in gastrointestinal cancers

Abstract

The effects on immune cells and the inflammatory microenvironment of commonly applied cancer treatments (chemotherapeutic or biologic agents, interventional radiologic procedures) have become better appreciated. Likewise, the contribution of the immune system toward the effectiveness of these treatments is clearer. The relevance of immune evasion by developing tumors is endorsed by its inclusion as one of the (updated) hallmarks of cancer. A greater understanding of this dimension can potentially lead to novel applications of existing standard of care therapies, in addition to potentiating their effect. This review summarizes the immune aspects of currently employed therapies-cytotoxic chemotherapeutics, biologic agents and interventional radiologic procedures-in solid tumor malignancies with a particular focus on those agents used in gastrointestinal cancers.