Possible therapeutic implication of PD-L1/PD-1 axis in endometrial cancer

Abstract

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a common reproductive system cancer in females and one of the leading causes for cancer-related deaths in women, ranked only after ovarian and cervical cancers. It is classified into two types with type I having better prognosis. At present, surgical removal is the major approach for the treatment of the disease. For those with metastasized cancer, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and radiotherapy are applied. However, the therapeutic efficacy is unsatisfactory and toxicity is severe. Recently, immune system has been recognized as an important factor in both cancer development and treatment. Immunotherapy against PD-1 has been shown to be effective with low side-effects in many cancers. This opens a novel approach for EC treatment as EC has been shown to have increased PD-L1/PD-1 axis. In this review, we summarize the most recent progress in PD-L1/PD-1 axis and prospect that anti PD-L1/PD-1 may be an effective approach for EC treatment.