immunochemotherapy

Immunochemotherapy is a treatment approach that combines cytotoxic chemotherapy with immunotherapy to treat cancer. The goal is to exploit the complementary mechanisms of action of these modalities: chemotherapy can reduce tumor burden and promote the release of tumor antigens, while immunotherapy aims to enhance and sustain the body's anti-tumor immune response.

Typical regimens pair conventional chemotherapy drugs with immunomodulatory agents such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, or adoptive cell therapies. Administration can be concurrent or sequential, and schedules are tailored to balance anti-cancer activity with tolerability.

Rationale: chemo-induced immunogenic cell death and increased antigen presentation can improve recognition by T cells; immunotherapies can relieve immune suppression, enabling a durable response. In some settings, chemotherapy can sensitize tumors to immune attack, while immunotherapies may extend responses after chemo-induced remission.

Clinical use and evidence vary by cancer type; combinations have shown improvements in progression-free or overall survival in select settings, but results are not uniform and toxicities can be additive. Patient selection and biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression, tumor mutational burden, and immune infiltrates influence outcomes.

Safety considerations include overlapping hematologic and organ toxicities; careful monitoring and dose adjustments are essential. Ongoing research seeks optimal sequencing, combination partners, and predictive biomarkers to identify patients most likely to benefit.