Neoantigen-Based Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer: Advances, Challenges and Prospects
Xiong Li, Yajuan Zhu, Ying Xue, Tingting Chen, Xiaoke Sun, Hongyang Shi
Abstract
Lung cancer ranks among the most prevalent malignant tumors, characterized by delayed diagnosis, limited treatment efficacy, and generally poor prognosis. Consequently, there is an urgent demand for effective treatments. Neoantigen-based immunotherapy emerged as a promising strategy in lung cancer treatment as ideal targets for immunotherapy interventions. Neoantigens are tumor-specific antigens produced by genetic mutations in somatic cells, which, unlike tumor-associated antigens, are found only in tumor tissue. Neoantigen immunotherapy has the advantages of high specificity, high safety and low immunotolerance, especially for lung cancer patients with a high tumor mutation load. We systematically summarize the biological characteristics, prediction and identification, mechanism of action, clinical application, risk challenges, and prospects of neoantigens as a novel precision immunotherapy method in lung cancer to provide valuable insights and references for the advancement of lung cancer treatment strategies.