REVIEW article

Front. Immunol., 06 October 2022

Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy

Volume 13 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1034903

Efficacy evaluation of multi-immunotherapy in ovarian cancer: From bench to bed

  • Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Development and Related Disease of Women and Children Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education, West China Second Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

Article metrics

View details

20

Citations

5,9k

Views

3,2k

Downloads

Abstract

Ovarian cancer, one of the most common gynecological malignancies, is characterized by high mortality and poor prognosis. Cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy remain the mainstay of ovarian cancer treatment, and most women experience recurrence after standard care therapies. There is compelling evidence that ovarian cancer is an immunogenic tumor. For example, the accumulation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes is associated with increased survival, while increases in immunosuppressive regulatory T cells are correlated with poor clinical outcomes. Therefore, immunotherapies targeting components of the tumor microenvironment have been gradually integrated into the existing treatment options, including immune checkpoint blockade, adoptive cell therapy, and cancer vaccines. Immunotherapies have changed guidelines for maintenance treatment and established a new paradigm in ovarian cancer treatment. Despite single immunotherapies targeting DNA repair mechanisms, immune checkpoints, and angiogenesis bringing inspiring efficacy, only a subset of patients can benefit much from it. Thus, the multi-immunotherapy investigation remains an active area for ovarian cancer treatment. The current review provides an overview of various clinically oriented forms of multi-immunotherapy and explores potentially effective combinational therapies for ovarian cancer.

1 Introduction

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy, of which epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most prevalent subtype. Most EOC patients are diagnosed with advanced stage accompanied with tumor spread to the peritoneal cavity. Current frontline treatments include debulking surgery, platinum-taxane maintenance chemotherapy, and recently developed targeted agents and immunotherapy. Despite aggressive treatment, the 5-year survival rate for women diagnosed with stage III or IV disease is still less than 25% (1). Most patients would suffer a recurrence after the initial response to therapy and almost all of them resistance to chemotherapy and leading to the death.

Growing evidence suggests that ovarian cancer is immunogenic cancer. There has been a significant increase in understanding of molecular and genetic changes in the ovarian cancer microenvironment. Thus, various immunotherapies target the tumor microenvironment (TME) and attempt to address the challenges posed by the highly immunosuppressive TME (2). Current immunotherapy for ovarian cancer includes immune checkpoint blockade, adoptive cell therapy, cancer vaccine, oncolytic virus and so on (Figure 1). Despite several of them achieving inspiring efficacy in the clinic, such as PARP inhibitors. Only a tiny fraction of patients benefited from them, and most of them would eventually suffer a recurrence or progression. With the limited efficacy brought by studies testing single-agent immunotherapy in recurrent ovarian cancer, optimism has resurfaced around the possibility that combinational therapy would deliver the better outcome expected by the community. In this review, we summarize the progress of clinical developments in multi-immunotherapies for ovarian cancer and briefly discuss the future directions of combinational therapies in ovarian cancer.

Figure 1

Figure 1

Immunotherapies in ovarian cancer. Created with BioRender.com.

2 Tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer

The TME comprises the extracellular matrix (ECM) and stromal cells. The ECM consists of water, proteoglycans, minerals, and fibrous proteins secreted by resident cells in an interlocking network (3). The ECM plays a critical role during tumorigenesis, affecting cell migration, invasion, and metastasis. Besides, stromal rearrangement plays a supportive role during the malignancy progresses and eventually, the tumoral and stromal changes aggravate each other and promote a dynamic reciprocity cycle (4). The matrix-centric, stromal-targeted cancer therapies developed as the ECM is altered at the biochemical, architectural, biomechanical, and topographical levels (5). Stromal cells in the TME include cancer-associated adipocytes, mesothelial cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells. Immune cells include tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), Tregs, neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), natural killer (NK) cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), and so on (6, 7) (Figure 2). The tumor-permissive TME is achieved by reprogramming host cells to support tumor phenotypes and functions (6). The metastatic tropism of cancer cells to the omentum, characterized by highly vascularized immune cell structures called milky spots, plays a critical role in the generation of the metastatic TME in the intraperitoneal cavity (6). In addition, not only components in the TME communicate and impact each other, but also ovarian cancer cells communicate with TME through various signaling pathways, such as STATs family pathway, IL-6 pathway, and NF-KB pathway (1). Several factors are associated with response to immunotherapy, including T cell exhaustion, PD-L1 status, microsatellite instability, mismatch repair deficiency, Tumor mutation burden (TMB), CD8+ positivity, T cell infiltration and so on (8). Thus, immunotherapies target TME developed, current immunotherapies target ovarian cancer TME including CAFs targeting therapy, anti-angiogenesis therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), oncolytic virus and so on (9). Tumors responsive to ICIs are usually called hot tumors, which depends on T cells’ infiltration. On the contrary, cold tumors usually do not respond to ICIs, which is characterized by poor T cell infiltration (10). Besides, the effectiveness of immunotherapy is associated with baseline immune responses and unleashing of pre-existing immunity. Thus, combinational immunotherapies may boost weak antitumor immunity, enhance tumor antigens cross-presentation, and promotes T cell priming and infiltration (11).

Figure 2

Figure 2

Tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer. Created with BioRender.com. TIL: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), APC: Antigen-presenting cell, MDSC: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), Treg: Regulatory T, CSC: cancer stem cell.

3 Targeting DNA repair-based combination immunotherapies

There are at least five recognized pathways that exist for DNA repair: direct repair, mismatch repair (MMR), nucleotide excision repair (NER), base excision repair (BER), and double-strand break (DSB) recombinational repair. DSB occurs by non-homologous end-joining and high-fidelity homologous recombination repair, which is much more error prone (12). Besides, germline aberrations in critical DNA repair and DNA-damage response (DDR) genes contribute to cancer susceptibility syndromes, including BRCA1, BRCA2, BLM, FANCA, TP53, RAD51C, and MSH2. After exposure to carcinogens, the generation of DNA damage increases the risk of cancer. Therefore, genomic instability is a recognized hallmark of cancer (13). Various agents are developed to target different processes during DNA repair, including PARP inhibitors, NER inhibitors, BER inhibitors, DDR kinases inhibitors, inhibitors targeting termini recognition, end bridging, DNA-end processing, and DNA ligation, inhibitors targeting homology directed repair and Rad51 (14). We will focus on PARPi-based combinational therapies, as it is most widely studied in ovarian cancer.

3.1 PARPi-based combination immunotherapies

The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a recognized sensor of DNA damage, which is known for its role in DNA BER and DNA single-strand breaks (SSB) repair. The role of PARP in DSB repair is less elucidated (13). PARP inhibitors have been a new targeted treatment for ovarian cancer, particularly in women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation or patients without a functional homologous recombination repair pathway (15). Homologous recombination deficient cells are susceptible to PARP inhibitors. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumor suppressor genes. They are associated with fundamental roles in DNA repair by forming a homologous recombination repair complex (16). Several PARP inhibitors are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or studied in clinical trials, including olaparib, niraparib, rucaparib, veliparib, and talazoparib (17). On March 27, 2017, niraparib was approved by the US FDA. The approval is based on the results of NOVA (NCT01847274) (18). On April 6, 2018, the US FDA approved rucaparib for the maintenance treatment. The approval relies on ARIEL3 (NCT01968213) (19, 20). Based on the results of SOLO-1 (NCT01844986), on December 19, 2018, the US FDA approved olaparib for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with germline or somatic BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm or sBRCAm) who exhibited either a complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy (21). Nevertheless, a recent clinical trial indicated that the efficacy of platinum-based subsequent chemotherapy seems to be reduced in BRCA1/2-mutated patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer (PSROC) compared to patients who haven’t received PARPi therapy (22). Despite the inspiring benefits PARPi brought, lots of limits still exist. Future studies should focus more on combinations that can enhance the effect of PARPi, benefit patients with non-HRD tumors, mitigate toxicity, and overcome PARPi resistance (23). Therefore, the combination of PARPi and other immunotherapies are developed, especially antiangiogenic agents and immune checkpoint inhibition.

3.1.1 PARPi combined with antiangiogenic agents

Angiogenesis plays a vital role in normal ovarian physiology as well as in ovarian cancer pathogenesis. Tumor progression and growth largely depend on angiogenesis, as tumor could not grow beyond 1-2 mm if the neovascularization cannot meet the requirements of nutrients and oxygen. Thus, antiangiogenic agents have been incorporated into the therapy regimen for ovarian cancer. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor (VEGFR) are primarily explored in clinical settings, and this pathway contributes to malignant ascites and tumor progression (24). Besides, it is also shown that overexpressed VEGF is correlated with tumor staging and prognosis (25). Plenty of angiogenesis inhibitors are being investigated, including Bevacizumab, Aflibercept, Nintedanib, Cediranib, Pazopanib, Sunitinib, Sorafenib, and Trebananib (26). Approved by the FDA, Bevacizumab exhibited modest efficacy, and most patients developed acquired resistance. Therefore, the combination of PARPi and angiogenesis inhibitors are reasonable and meaningful.

There are two purposes for combining PARPi and angiogenesis inhibitors. Firstly, PARPi could decrease angiogenesis (27). Secondly, both VEGF3 inhibitors and hypoxia induce the downregulation of HRD proteins (28, 29). On May 8, 2020, the indication of olaparib was expanded to combination therapy with bevacizumab for first-line maintenance treatment of HRD-positive advanced ovarian cancer (30). The approval was based on the PAOLA-1 trial, which revealed that combined therapy of bevacizumab and olaparib provided a significant progression-free survival (PFS) benefit in HRD-positive patients, regardless of whether the patient had the BRCA mutation (31). More combinational strategies are being studied. In a patient-derived ovarian cancer xenografts (OC-PDXs) model, the combination of PARPi Olaparib and VEGFR inhibitor cediranib reduced the growth of all OC-PDXs independent of BRCA status (32). In 2014, a phase 2 study revealed that Cediranib plus Olaparib could prolong PFS (33). Later, a phase 3 clinical study NRG-GY004 showed that combining Cediranib and Olaparib did not prolong PFS compared with chemotherapy and resulted in reduced patient-reported outcomes (PRO) (34). Besides, other combinational strategies are being investigated too. Compared to monotherapy, niraparib plus bevacizumab significantly increased the PFS of platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, while a more extensive scale phase 3 clinical trial is planned (35, 36). More preclinical and clinical studies are needed to provide information about the most appropriate combination strategy and which subset of patients in what clinical setting benefit most.

3.1.2 PARPi combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors

In addition to antiangiogenic agents, PARPi was combined with other targeted immunotherapies, such as PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, WEE-1 inhibitors, ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated-and-Rad3-related kinase (ATR) inhibitors, MEK inhibitors, and so on (37). Plenty of studies regarding PARPi and PD-1/PD-L1 combinational therapy are completed or ongoing. Olaparib, niraparib, rucaparib, and talazoparib are combined with anti-PD-1 antibodies (nivolumab, pembrolizumab) and anti-PD-L1 antibodies (durvalumab, atezolizumab, avelumab) (38). PARPi and PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies demonstrated synergistic antitumor activities in animal models regardless of BRCA mutation status, which is achieved by blockade of single-stranded DNA damage repair and activation of the STING-dependent immune response. Moreover, PARPi induces an immunostimulatory micromilieu in ovarian cancer, thereby complementing the activity of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade (39, 40). A phase 2 clinical trial revealed that a combination of olaparib and durvalumab showed modest efficacy whereas blockade of VEGF/VEGFR would be necessary to improve the combination (41). PARPi was also combined with many other ICB in ovarian cancer, such as inhibitors target phosphatidylinositol-4,5- bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K) (42, 43), V-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT) (44), ATR (45, 46), heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) (47, 48), checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) (49), cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) (50), salt-inducible kinase 2 (SIK2) (51), insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) (52). However, most of the combinations are still in preclinical or phase 1 clinical studies, and a larger scale of clinical studies is needed to further evaluate the efficacy. In addition, the natural compound alantolactone (ALT) could inhibit the thioredoxin reductase, thus inducing ROS accumulation and oxidative DNA damage in cancer cells. A combination of pro-oxidative agent ALT and Olaparib induced tumor regression, which broadened the application of PARP inhibitors (53).

Other agents targeting DNA repair are much less investigated in ovarian cancer. Some studies report their application in other types of cancers as previously reviewed (14). More data are needed on ovarian cancer.

4 Adoptive cell therapy-based combination immunotherapies

Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) mainly refers to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells, T-cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cells, natural TILs, CAR-NK cells, and CAR-macrophages. ACT has achieved a remarkable revolution in the hematological tumor. Nevertheless, for solid tumors, including ovarian cancer, ACT seems insufficient to elicit significant antitumor activity. In ovarian cancer, CAR-T cells target folate-receptor alpha (FRα), mesothelin, MUC-1, and HER2 have been widely investigated. However, no satisfactory therapeutic efficacy has been observed so far. The low avidity and heterogeneous expression of targetable membrane antigens and difficulties in CAT-T cell infiltration and survival are the key obstacles (54). Novel targets or combinational therapies are expected to solve these problems. For instance, CAR-T cells targeting the Mullerian inhibiting substance type 2 receptor (MISIIR), B7-H3, Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), C-X-C chemokine receptor 1 (CXCR1), or C-X-C chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2), 5T4 significantly controlled tumor growth in vivo (5559). Apart from CAR-T therapy, other ACT, including TCR-T and CAR-NK, are also under investigation. TCR-T therapy is MHC restricted and relies on the presentation of the MHC complex. Unlike CAR-T therapy, whose target antigens are only cell surface proteins, TCR-T could recognize both intracellular antigen fragments and surface proteins as long as MHC molecules present them. In ovarian cancer, TCR-T targeting melanoma-associated antigen 4 (MAGE-A4) and New York esophageal-1 (NY-ESO-1) are in early clinical trials (60). CAR-NK targeting folate receptor alpha (αFR) (61), glypican-3 (GPC3) (62), human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) (63), CD44 (64), CD24 (65), CD133 (66), MSLN (67) have achieved therapeutic efficacy in preclinical studies. More clinical data are needed to verify their efficacy in ovarian cancer patients.

4.1 Bispecific CAR-T cells

As we mentioned, a common mechanism of tumor escape from single-target CAR-T cells is the downregulation and mutational loss of the targeted antigen. Thus, targeting multiple antigens may improve the efficacy of CAR-T cells. Several bispecific CAR-T products are under investigation. For instance, Zhen et found that folate receptor 1 (FOLR1) and mesothelin (MSLN) are specifically highly expressed in ovarian cancer cells by screening the GEO database. Therefore, they established tandem CAR-T cells target both FOLR1 and MSLN, and the tandem CAR-T cells exhibited enhanced antitumor activity and prolonged mouse survival compared to single-target CAR-T cells (68). Besides, MSLN CAR-T-secreting anti-CD40 antibody had a more powerful cytotoxic effect on ovarian tumor (69). Dual targeting tumor-associated glycoprotein 72 (TAG-72) and CD47 are effective in ovarian cancer model (70). CAR-T cells targeting PDL1 and MUC16 also demonstrated more potent antitumor efficacy than single-target CAR-T cells (71). Dual CAR-T cells targeting NKG2D and PD-1 ligands exhibited inspiring efficacy in treating metastatic peritoneal tumors (72). In the clinic, CAR-T cells targeting MSLN and PD-1 combined with apatinib exhibited potent therapeutic efficacy in one patient with refractory EOC (73). To summarize, most bispecific CAR-T therapies in ovarian cancer are still in the preclinical stages. Future studies should search for more specific and practical targets in the clinic.

4.2 CAR-T combined with other immunotherapies

According to the modest efficacy of CAR-T in ovarian cancer, several agents are applied to enhance CAR-T cells’ efficacy. Firstly, the efficacy of ICIs limited by a lack of a tumor-reactive microenvironment. CAR-T cells may provide the necessary tumor-targeting immune infiltrate. Conversely, ICIs counteract the immunosuppressive environment that undermines optimal CAR-T cell efficacy (74). Thus, combining ICI with CAR-T could be a promising strategy. By loading anti-HER2 or anti-EGFR bispecific antibodies, CD19-CAR-T and activated T cells showed comparable specific cytotoxicity against ovarian cancer cells (75). In addition, arm CAR-T cells with therapeutic cytokines. For instance, IL-12 secreting 4H11-28z CAR-T cells showed enhanced proliferation and antitumor ability compared to 4H11-28z CAR-T cells only (76). Besides, pretreatment of ovarian cancer cells with histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium valproate (VPA) could upregulate NKG2DL expression in ovarian cancer cells expressing low to moderate NKG2DL. Consequently, chimeric NKG2D CAR-T cells exhibited better efficacy by enhanced immune recognition (77). In some papers, upregulation or downregulation of certain receptors could enhance CAR-T cells’ efficacy. Co-expressing of CXCR2 enhanced homing and efficacy of CAR-T cells targeting the integrin αvβ6 (78). Besides, adenosine 2A receptors (A2aRs) disruption improved the efficacy of CAR-T cells targeting MSLN (79). As we mentioned before, poor T cell infiltration contributes to the failure of CAR-T therapy. Therefore, to improve T cell infiltration in ovarian cancer, a vascular disrupting agent (VDA) called combretastatin A-4 phosphate (CA4P) was combined with CAR-T cells and results indicated that CA4P enhanced the efficacy of CAR-T cells and could be an effective antitumor agent candidate in treating solid tumor (80). In addition, a substantial body of work suggests that the accumulation of adenosine in the TME contributed to the failure of immunotherapies. As a result, adenosine deaminase 1 (ADA) overexpression improved CAR-T cells’ antitumor ability in ovarian cancer (81). In summary, CAR-T-associated combinational therapy is still preclinical studies, and more reasonable and effective combinational strategies are being exploited.

4.3 Other ACT combinational therapies

CAR-NK, TCR-T and CAR-macrophage therapy are alternate cell-based therapies. Cancer-testis antigens (CTA) are developed as targets for TCR-T, including MAGE-A4 and NY-ES0-1 (60). CAR-NK offers some significant advantages compared to CAR-T, such as better safety, multiple cytotoxic mechanisms, and high feasibility for “off-the-shelf” manufacturing (82). CAR-NK against human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) inhibited tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, and such efficacy was enhanced when combined with chemotherapeutic agents (63). Besides, CXCR1 expression could enhance the antitumor efficacy of NKG2D CAR-NK, which provided a novel strategy for improving the therapeutic efficacy of NK cells (83). CAR-Macrophage own unique advantages. CAR-macrophage could significantly immerse in the TME, and direct kill tumor cells as well as enhance T cell function. In addition, CAR-macrophage has fewer non-tumor toxicities compared to CAR-T (84). Most CAR-macrophage therapies are in the preclinical stage, including CAR-macrophage targeting CD19, CD22, HER2, CCR7 and so on. Only several phase 1 clinical trials for solid tumors are ongoing (85). In ovarian cancer, reports of CAR-NK, TCR-T, and CAR-macrophage are rare. More data from preclinical and clinical studies are needed to prove the safety and antitumor efficacy.

5 Cancer vaccine-based combination immunotherapies

A single application of cancer vaccine in ovarian cancer is under exploration, such as peptide vaccine, whole tumor cell vaccine, cancer stem cells (CSCs), antigen-presenting cell (APC) vaccine, DNA/RNA vaccine, bacteria vaccine and so on. Most of them augment antitumor immunity in ovarian cancer patients. Nevertheless, clinical data only revealed modest efficacy in most patients. Therapeutic efficacy in more patients is testable (8692). Despite most cancer vaccines only achieving moderate efficacy in other malignancies, combining cancer vaccines and other immunotherapies may broaden its application and elevate efficacy. For instance, murine ovarian cancer cell ID8 was spray dried and made into a microparticulate vaccine. The microparticulate ovarian cancer vaccine exhibited the most efficacious in inhibiting tumor growth when administered with interleukins (93). Adding immunomodulator agents such as IL-12 may augment the efficacy of cell-based cancer vaccine (94). In a phase 2 trial, a multiepitope FRα vaccine called TPIV200 was combined with PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab in treating advanced platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. The combination was safe and elicited robust FRα-specific immune responses (95). Dual blockade of PD-1 and CTLA-4 enhanced efficacy of the GVAX vaccine in ovarian cancer models through activation of CD4 and CD8 T cells, secretion of cytokines, and inhibition of Treg cells (96). Besides, immunostimulatory adjuvant could elevate the efficacy of cancer vaccines. For instance, cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) co-delivered with irradiated ovarian cancer cells elicited prophylactic efficacy and immunologic memory responses in mice models (97). 21 recurrent high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients were treated with a polyvalent antigen-KLH plus OPT-821 vaccine and bevacizumab. Results indicated that the combinational therapy was well-tolerated. Although immunogenic responses were not associated with improved survival, researchers discovered that increased IL-18 correlated with improved PFS while increased PDGF was associated with worse OS (98). Gemogenovatucel-T (Vigil) is an autologous whole tumor cell vaccine transfected with GM-CSF gene and silenced of furin, the critical convertase responsible for activation of TGFβ-1 and TGFβ-2. The vigil was well-tolerated, but the primary endpoint was not met (99). A combination of vigil and a PD-L1 blocking antibody atezolizumab was safe. Further clinical exploration was justified (100). Apart from peptide and irradiated tumor cell vaccine, DC vaccine was combined with ex vivo-stimulated autologous T cells. Six patients were enrolled in this study. They received bevacizumab plus autologous DC pulsed with tumor lysate supernatants, followed by lymphodepletion and adoptive transfer of autologous vaccine-primed and CD3/CD28-stimulated T cells. Four patients benefit from the therapy, including two partial responses (PR) and two stable disease (SD) (101). Combining human monocytes and IFN-α2a and IFN-γ mediated potent antitumor effect in ovarian cancer (102). Immuno-modulators, including anti-CD40Ab and TLR3 ligand—poly(I:C), could enhance the antitumor effect of a DNA vaccine encoding MSLN and antigen-specific connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) (103). CPMV in situ vaccination combined with CD47-blocking antibody promoted macrophage activity and enhanced T cell function in ovarian cancer model (104). To summarize, most cancer vaccines could not wholly eradicate established tumors. They exhibit better therapeutic effects when tumor volume is small and the vaccine is given in an adjuvant setting (105).

6 ICI-based combination immunotherapies

6.1 Bispecific ICIs

Dual inhibition of PD-1/PD-L1 exhibited better efficacy in ovarian cancer compared to single-target. Bispecific targeting of PD-1 and PD-L1 induced superior cellular changes in T and NK cells compared to monospecific targeting (106). Besides, A soluble form of the PD-1 receptor (sPD-1) neutralized both PD-L1 and PD-L2 and achieved better efficacy. PD-L2 blockade facilitates ICB resistance through incomplete blockade of the PD-1 signaling pathway (107).

More inhibitors simultaneously target two signaling pathways to enhance the antitumor effects. APCS-540, a newly developed inhibitor targeting glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3B) and histone deacetylases (HDACs), inhibited tumor growth and prolonged survival in an ovarian cancer model (108). Another inhibitor, Istiratumab, bispecific targets IGF-1R and epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (ErbB3). Istiratumab could be a candidate for treating chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer (109). Besides, MSC2363318A is a newly developed inhibitor targeting AKT1, AKT3, and P70S6K. Yes-associated protein (YAP1) could be a marker that predicts ovarian tumors’ sensitivity to MSC2363318A (110). HKMTI-1-005 simultaneously inhibited the histone methyltransferase G9A and EZH2, which elicited antitumor efficacy in HGSOC (111). Several papers focus on the pro-tumorigenic microenvironment induced by chemotherapy. Tumor cell debris produced by platinum- and taxane-based chemotherapy stimulates a “surge” of macrophage-derived proinflammatory cytokines and bioactive lipids. A dual cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor PTUPB decreased proinflammatory cytokines and lipids in the TME and delayed ovarian tumor growth (112).

6.2 Dual blockade

When certain ICI works, it is possible that a compensatory signaling pathway was induced, providing an idea of the dual blockade. As one of the most widely applicated inhibitors, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are combined with various inhibitors. Dual blockade of CXCL12-CXCR4 and PD1-PDL1 enhanced antitumor effects compared with the single blockade, which was associated with increased effector T cells infiltration and function, increased memory T cells, and decreased Treg cells in the TME (113). Dual blockade of PD-1 and CTLA-4 elicited antitumor efficacy in preclinical studies (114). A combination of PD-1 inhibitor Nivolumab and CTLA-4 inhibitor Ipilimumab in EOC patients resulted in superior responses and longer PFS (115). PD-1 inhibitor LY3300054 and CHK1 inhibitor prexasertib combinational therapy were tolerable and demonstrated preliminary efficacy in HGSOC patients (116). PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab and VEGF inhibitor bevacizumab achieved durable responses and/or disease stabilization in some platinum-resistant ovarian cancer patients (117). High expression of CXCL13 predicted a more prolonged survival and facilitated the maintenance of CXCR5+CD8+ T cells. Besides, CXCL13, combined with anti-PD-1 therapy, significantly retarded ovarian tumor growth (118). Combining cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor abemaciclib and anti-PD-1 therapy may have a better promise for poorly immune-infiltrated ovarian cancer (119).

Despite that more than 60% of ovarian cancers are positive for the estrogen receptor (ER), ER-targeted treatment in ovarian cancer was disappointing. Src is also activated in most ovarian cancers. It was found that estrogen could activate Src to phosphorylate p27, thus promoting its degradation and increasing cell-cycle progression. Combinational ER and Src blockade therapy by fulvestrant and saracatinib increased cell-cycle arrest, induced autophagy, and inhibited ovarian cancer growth in vivo (120, 121). Apart from Src inhibitor, MEK inhibitor selumetinib could also reverse antiestrogen resistance in ER-positive HGSOC. Besides, MAPK overexpression predicted poor prognosis and may help identify MEK inhibitor-responsive cancer (122).

Although the EGFR signaling pathway is usually activated and associated with a poor prognosis, clinical results of EGFR inhibition in recurrent ovarian cancer patients are disappointing. An article revealed that STAT3 activation might contribute to resistance to EGFR inhibition. Therefore, combined inhibition of EGFR and JAK/STAT3 had synergistic antitumor effects, whereas combinational inhibition of other pathways, including AKT/mTOR, MEK, and SRC, was relatively less effective (123). 12 patients received intraperitoneal cisplatin, intraperitoneal TLR3 ligand rintatolimad, and oral COX-2 blocker celecoxib. The study revealed that the combination was safe and tolerable. A phase 2 clinical trial would be tested (124). The insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) expression was elevated in two ovarian cancer models treated with bevacizumab. Dual blockade of IGF-1 and VEGF resulted in increased tumor growth inhibition (125). Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4), one of the Notch ligands, is overexpressed in ovarian cancer. Dual blockade of Dll4 and VEGF markedly reduced ovarian cancer cell growth (126). Overexpression of BCL2L1 was associated with platinum resistance to multiple anti-cancer agents in ovarian cancer. Dual inhibition of FGFR4 and BCL-xL demonstrated potent efficacy and tolerable toxicity (127). Forkhead domain inhibitor-6 (FDI-6) is a forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1). FDI-6 inhibition elicited the upregulation of N-Ras, phosphoprotein kinase Cδ (p-PKCδ), and HER3. Combination FDI-6 with tipifarnib (N-Ras inhibitor), rottlerin (p-PKCδ inhibitor), or sapitinib (HER3 inhibitor) decreased the survival of cancer cells (128). Src and MAPK are activated in HGSOC. Dual blockade of Src and MAPK by saracatinib and selumetinib inhibited ovarian tumor growth and targeted tumor initiating stem-like cells (129). Dual inhibition of DNA methylation and histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation by 5-aza-CdR and G9Ai increased viral mimicry and served as a basis for this combination strategy (130). Combined inhibition of MEK and BCL-2/XL had therapeutic efficacy in HGSOC models, and BIM protein was a biomarker of responsiveness (131). Dual inhibition of PI3K/mTOR and RAS/ERK by PF-04691502 and PD-0325901 showed robust synergistic antitumor efficacy (132).

Targeting agents participating in cancer cell metabolism are being explored. Dual inhibition of glycolysis and glutaminolysis could be a promising therapeutic strategy in ovarian cancer (133). Similarly, A triphenylphosphonium-modified terpyridine platinum (II) complex (TTP) inhibited multiple mitochondrial and glycolytic bioenergetics, thus inducing a hypometabolic state in several cancers, including ovarian cancer (134).

Besides EOC, research on other types of ovarian cancer was much less. The PI3K and murine double minute 2 (MDM2) upregulation predict a worse outcome in clear cell ovarian carcinoma (CCOC). Dual inhibition of PI3K and MDM2 by DS-7423 and RG7112 significantly reduced CCOC growth (135).

6.3 ICIs combined with other immunotherapies

Although ICIs have changed the practice of cancer treatment and prognosis, the application of ICIs for ovarian cancer is limited. Adding cytotoxic cytokines or neutralizing immunosuppressive cytokines may augment the efficacy. IL-10 in the TME sustained the immunosuppression in ovarian cancer. Therefore, IL-10 neutralization enhanced the antitumor efficacy of PD-1 blockade, and the combinational therapy prolonged survival and decreased tumor burden through T cell and B cell immunity in mice (136). Besides, active immunotherapy precedes administrated of ICI. Thus, promoting T cell maturation and resistance to the cytotoxic effects of the Bcl-2 inhibitor (137).

7 Oncolytic virus-based combination immunotherapies

Oncolytic viruses are gene-modified or naturally occurring viruses that selectively replicate and destroy cancer cells without harming the normal tissues (138). Adenovirus, herpes simplex virus (HSV), poxvirus, and measles virus are the most well-known oncolytic viruses in cancer therapy (105, 139). The oncolytic virus is combined chiefly with ICB in ovarian cancer. For example, oncolytic Maraba virus and PD-1 blockade combination mediated heterogeneous radiologic patterns through non-invasive MRI scanning (140). Plant virus CPMV nanoparticles conjugated with anti-PD-1 peptide had superior efficacy against metastatic ovarian cancer compared to adding free anti-PD-1 peptide (141). Oncolytic vaccinia virus therapy in ovarian cancer induced expression of PD-L1 in cancer cells and immune cells. Therefore, combining therapy of oncolytic vaccinia virus and PD-L1 blockade could synergistically enhance therapeutic efficacy (142).

Moreover, oncolytic viruses could be genetically modified to express exogenous cytokines or proteins. A modified Vaccinia Ankara vaccine expressing wild-type human p53 (p53MVA) promoted T cell responses, and combination with gemcitabine or other agents was expected to exhibit superior clinical responses (143). In addition, the oncolytic vaccinia virus (VV) engineered to express a fusion protein of IL-15 and IL-15Ralpha was named vvDD-IL15-Rα. A combination of vvDD-IL15-Rα and PD-1 blockade exhibited a dramatic tumor regression (144). Mice were pretreated with three homologous thrombospondin type 1 repeat domains (3TSR) alone or followed by combination with a fusogenic oncolytic Newcastle disease virus (NDV). 3TSR could normalize tumor vasculature, thus enhancing NDV delivery and trafficking of immune cells to the tumor core. The combinational therapy resulted in a most significant reduction in tumor volume and ascites accumulation (145).

Oncolytic viruses are also combined with other immunogenic agents. The oncolytic vaccinia virus (OVV) was enhanced by MEK inhibitor PD0325901 and trametinib in doxorubicin-resistant ovarian cancer (146). Microtubule destabilizing agents (MDAs) could sensitize tumors to oncolytic virus therapy. The combination of trastuzumab emtansine and oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus (VSVΔ51) demonstrated that a viral-sensitizing molecule could enhance oncolytic virus efficacy (147). Infection of RNA virus induced upregulation of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). HSP70 increased measles virus cytotoxicity. HSP90 inhibitors could upregulate HSP70, therefore increasing the efficacy of measles virotherapy (148). Furthermore, modulating interferon modulators by JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib could overcome partial resistance of an oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus variant pseudotyped with the nonneurotropic glycoprotein (VSV-GP) (149).

The combination of two types of viruses demonstrated enhanced efficacy. For example, infection with Semliki Forest virus-ovalbumin (SFV-OVA) followed by infection with vaccinia virus-ovalbumin (VV-OVA) induced an enhanced antitumor efficacy through a combination of viral oncolysis and antigen-specific immunity (150).

A limitation of recombinant oncolytic virus therapy is the viral clearance by neutralizing antibodies. Therefore, a study found that cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) inhibitors may circumvent this limitation. Cox-2 inhibitors successfully inhibited the generation of neutralizing antibodies and exhibited more effective antitumor efficacy when combined with the vaccinia virus in ovarian cancer (151). Another obstacle to viral therapy is that oncolytic viruses are large particles. Thus, it is difficult to efficient extravasation from tumor blood vessels. A study proved that the oncolytic sindbis virus target tumor cells by the laminin receptor. Therefore, modulating vascular leakiness by VEGF or metronomic chemotherapy could enhance specific targeting and delivery of sindbis viral vectors (152). Combination of adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing 3TSR and Fc3TSR and bevacizumab extended mice survival, suggesting a further investigation of such a combination (153). The application of adenoviruses is limited by rapid, systemic cytokine release and consequently inflammatory toxicity. To overcome this obstacle, researchers used β3 integrin to significantly reduce toxicity without compromising antitumor efficacy (154).

8 Chemotherapy-based combination immunotherapies

Chemotherapy combined with cytoreductive surgery is the mainstay treatment for ovarian cancer. Although the majority of people initially respond to platinum-based chemotherapy, most patients would suffer a recurrence within 5 years. Currently, most clinical studies regarding immunotherapies are applied to patients who previously received chemotherapy, as we discussed before (37). Resistance to platinum agents and PARP inhibitors is one of the main obstacles to ovarian cancer therapy (155). Thus, it’s urgent to explore novel targets or combinational strategies. RNA sequencing and panel DNA sequencing revealed that neoadjuvant chemotherapy induces genomic and transcriptomic changes, and combined treatment of AP-1 or SIK2 inhibitors with carboplatin or paclitaxel showed synergistic effects (156). RNA sequencing analysis also suggested that stress promoted chemoresistance, which provided targets to overcome chemo resistance (157). In addition, targeting LRRC15 could inhibit metastatic dissemination through β1-integrin/FAK signaling (158). Apart from preclinical studies, several clinical trials revealed that MEK inhibitor trametinib, Wee1 inhibitor adavosertib, and CDK4/6 inhibitor ribociclib showed preliminary efficacy in ovarian cancer (159161). Overall, a single application of immunotherapy is unlikely to have a dramatically effect in ovarian cancer. Understanding the interplay between signal pathways may provide a better combined therapy of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

9 Immunotherapy enhancement strategy

9.1 Nanoparticles-based combination immunotherapies

Poor aqueous solubilities limited the application of several drugs. Nanoplatforms could help solve the barrier. Diblock copolymer nanoplatforms were used to formulate micelles through the solvent evaporation method. A dual drug loaded micelles (DDM) containing chetomin and everolimus targeted HIF and mTOR. The DDM significantly inhibited angiogenesis and induced apoptosis compared to the individual micells (162). Besides, ovarian tumor cells overexpress low-density lipoprotein receptors (LDLr). Thus, LDL-encapsulated cholesterol-conjugated heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) dual inhibitor specifically targeted and inhibited ovarian cancer cells (163).

9.2 Radiotherapy-based combination therapy

Radiotherapy was nearly abandoned in ovarian cancer due to its modest efficacy and toxicity. However, recent studies revealed that a low dose of radiotherapy might reprogram the tumor microenvironment and reverse tumor immune desertification and resistance to immunotherapy (164). Low-dose radiotherapy plays a role in immune modulation and tumor microenvironment reprogramming rather than direct tumor killing. Although radiotherapy could promote antitumor immunity, including tumor antigen presentation and T cell recruitment, immune suppressive cells, including Tregs and MDSCs, are also activated. Therefore, radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy may promote the activity of favorable immune cells and elevate antitumor efficacies (164). Low dose radiotherapy (LDRT) triggered T cell infiltration in an IFN-dependent manner in ovarian cancer patients with immune-desert tumors when combined with immune checkpoint blockade (165). In a preclinical setting, radiation therapy combined with immunostimulatory CPMV elicited significant tumor retardation and increased TIL in the TME (166). Radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy in other types of cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, and colon cancer, is under plenty of preclinical and clinical studies, providing a basis for application in ovarian cancer (164).

10 Conclusion and future perspectives

Ovarian cancer, especially epithelial ovarian cancer, is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage. Patients who experience a recurrence within six months after the end of platinum-based chemotherapy are characterized by poor prognosis, which needs a novel and effective treatment modality (167). Multi-immunotherapies are expected to prolong the survival and improve the prognosis, plenty of clinical trials are investigating their efficacy in ovarian cancer (Table 1). Immunotherapy could be strengthened through several points. Firstly, it is recommended that all women with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer should be offered genetic testing. Approximately 10%-20% of ovarian cancers are related to germline mutations. Besides, relatives of women with genetic mutations are recommended to have gene testing (168). In addition, several preclinical and early clinical data suggested that toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) and TLR8 agonists could activate DCs, monocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts. TLR7/8 agonists also promoted proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines secretion, including IL-6. Thus, activation of TLR7/8 may be a potential target (169). Moreover, RNA-associated therapy aroused researchers’ attention. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are critical regulators in ovarian cancer occurrence and progression (170). RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), a class of endogenous proteins that bind to mRNA, regulate a series of pathological processes in ovarian cancer (171). Therefore, both lncRNAs and RBPs could be a potential therapeutic target (172178). Non-coding RNA miR-146b simultaneously inhibited EGFR and IL6-STAT3 signal pathways, resulting in a more excellent suppression of ovarian cancer cell migration (179). Another non-coding RNA, HOTAIR, was overexpressed in ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSCs). Inhibition of HOTAIR and DNA methylation help eradicate OCSCs and block disease recurrence (180). In addition, several natural agents could target multiple signaling pathways. For instance, berberine was proved to target both EGFR and ErbB2. Berberine inhibited migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells (181).

Table 1

NumberClinical trial identifierTargetsResponsible partyStatus
1NCT04024878Nivolumab: PD-1 inhibitor
NeoVax: 20 peptides and Poly-ICLC
Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteRecruiting
2NCT05479045Nivolumab: PD-1 inhibitor
NY-ESO-1 Peptide vaccine
Georgetown UniversityNot yet recruiting
3NCT02737787Nivolumab: PD-1 inhibitor
WT1 Vaccine
NY-ESO-1 Vaccine
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterActive, not recruiting
4NCT05044871Tislelizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
Pamiparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Tongji HospitalNot yet recuiting
5NCT03806049Dostarlimab: PD-1 inhibitor
Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Nordic Society of Gynaecological Oncology - Clinical Trials UnitWithdrawn
6NCT03602859Dostarlimab: PD-1 inhibitor
Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Tesaro, Inc.Active, not recruiting
7NCT03955471Dostarlimab: PD-1 inhibitor
Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Tesaro, Inc.Terminated
8NCT05467670Pembrolizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
ALX148: CD47 inhibitor
University of PittsburghNot yet recuiting
9NCT03596281Pembrolizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Cancer Campus, Grand ParisActive, not recuiting
10NCT02537444Pembrolizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
Acalabrutinib: Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor
Acerta Pharma BVCompleted
11NCT05188781Pembrolizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
Anlotinib: TKI
The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao UniversityCompleted
12NCT03734692Pembrolizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
Rintatolimod: TLR-3 agonist
University of PittsburghRecruiting
13NCT03275506Pembrolizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
ARCAGY/GINECO GROUPActive, not recruiting
14NCT04361370Pembrolizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Yonsei UniversityEnrolling by invitation
15NCT05271318Pembrolizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
TILT-123: oncolytic adenovirus
TILT Biotherapeutics Ltd.Recruiting
16NCT04417192Pembrolizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
National Cancer Center Hospital EastRecruiting
17NCT05116189Pembrolizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLCRecruiting
18NCT04068974Camrelizumab: PD-1 inhibitor
Apatinib: VEGFR inhibitor
Peking Union Medical College HospitalRecruiting
19NCT05145218TQB2450: PD-1 inhibitor
Anlotinib: TKI
Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.Recruiting
20NCT03574779TSR-042: PD-1 inhibitor
Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Tesaro, Inc.Recruiting
21NCT03294694PDR001: PD-1 inhibitor
Ribociclib: CDK inhibitor
Fulvestrant: ER downregulator
Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteTerminated
22NCT02891824Atezolizumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
ARCAGY/GINECO GROUPActive, not recruiting
23NCT03695380Atezolizumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Cobimetinib: MEK inhibitor
Hoffmann-La RocheRecruiting
25NCT03394885Atezolizumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Duke UniversityCompleted
26NCT03353831Atezolizumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
AGO Research GmbHActive, not recruiting
27NCT03292172Atezolizumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
RO6870810: BET inhibitor
Hoffmann-La RocheTerminated
28NCT02915523Avelumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Entinostat: HDAC inhibitor
Syndax PharmaceuticalsCompleted
29NCT03642132Avelumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Talazoparib: PARP inhibitor
PfizerCompleted
30NCT03558139Avelumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Magrolimab: Anti-CD47 antibody
Gilead SciencesCompleted
31NCT02943317Avelumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Defactinib: PYK2 inhibitor
Verastem, Inc.Terminated
32NCT03704467Avelumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
M6620: ATR inhibitor
EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc.Completed
33NCT03737643Durvalumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
AstraZenecaRecruiting
34NCT04742075Durvalumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
UV1: Peptide vaccine
Nordic Society of Gynaecological Oncology - Clinical Trials UnitRecruiting
35NCT02431559Durvalumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Motolimod: TLR8 agonist
Ludwig Institute for Cancer ResearchCompleted
36NCT02764333Durvalumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
TPIV200: A Multi-Epitope Anti-Folate Receptor Vaccine
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterCompleted
37NCT03899610Durvalumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Tremelimumab: CTLA-4 inhibitor
Yonsei UniversityRecruiting
38NCT03699449Durvalumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Cediranib: VEGFR inhibitor
Tremelimumab: CTLA-4 inhibitor
Yonsei UniversityRecruiting
39NCT03249142Durvalumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Tremelimumab: CTLA-4 inhibitor
ARCAGY/GINECO GROUPActive, not recruiting
40NCT04015739Durvalumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
ARCAGY/GINECO GROUPActive, not recruiting
41NCT03430518Durvalumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Eribulin: microtubule-targeting agent
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiCompleted
42NCT04644289durvalumab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
AGO Research GmbHRecruiting
43NCT05422183Envafolimab: PD-L1 inhibitor
Lenvatinib: TKI
Zhongda HospitalNot yet recruiting
44NCT05130515Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Anlotinib: TKI
Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen UniversityNot yet recruiting
45NCT03783949Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Ganetespib: Hsp90 inhibitor
Universitaire Ziekenhuizen LeuvenActive, not recruiting
46NCT05198804Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
ZN-c3: Wee1 inhibitor
K-Group BetaRecruiting
47NCT05183984Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
ARCAGY/GINECO GROUPRecruiting
48NCT03895788Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Brivanib: VEGFR and FGFR inhibitor
Hunan Cancer HospitalUnkonwn
49NCT04826198Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
AsiDNA: DNA Repair Inhibitor
Gustave Roussy, Cancer Campus, Grand ParisRecruiting
50NCT04149145Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
M4344: ATR inhibitor
University of Alabama at BirminghamNot yet recruiting
51NCT03944902Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
CB-839: Glutaminase inhibitor
University of Alabama at BirminghamTerminated
52NCT04734665Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Yonsei UniversityRecruiting
53NCT04376073Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Anlotinib: TKI
Sun Yat-sen UniversityRecruiting
54NCT04267939Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Elimusertib: ATR inhibitor
BayerRecruiting
55NCT03326193Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Tesaro, Inc.Active, not recruiting
56NCT02354131Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Nordic Society of Gynaecological Oncology - Clinical Trials UnitCompleted
57NCT05009082Niraparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
AGO Study GroupNot yet recruiting
58NCT05170594Fluzoparib: PARP inhibitor
Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical UniversityRecruiting
59NCT04517357Fluzoparib: PARP inhibitor
Apatinib: VEGFR inhibitor
Jiangsu HengRui Medicine Co., Ltd.Recruiting
60NCT05479487Fluzoparib: PARP inhibitor
Apatinib: VEGFR inhibitor
Fudan UniversityNot yet recruiting
61NCT04229615Fluzoparib: PARP inhibitor
Apatinib: VEGFR inhibitor
Jiangsu HengRui Medicine Co., Ltd.Active, not recruiting
62NCT04669002Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
EP0057: NDC
Ellipses PharmaRecruiting
63NCT02889900Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Cediranib: VEGFR inhibitor
AstraZenecaCompleted
64NCT03117933Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Cediranib: VEGFR inhibitor
University of OxfordActive, not recruiting
65NCT03278717Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Cediranib: VEGFR inhibitor
NCT03278717Recruiting
66NCT02681237Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Cediranib: VEGFR inhibitor
University Health Network, TorontoCompleted
67NCT04729387Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Alpelisib: PI3K inhibitor
Novartis PharmaceuticalsRecruiting
68NCT02340611Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Cediranib: VEGFR inhibitor
University Health Network, TorontoCompleted
69NCT02855697Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Cediranib: VEGFR inhibitor
The Christie NHS Foundation TrustCompleted
70NCT03314740Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Cediranib: VEGFR inhibitor
Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological ResearchUnkonwn
71NCT01623349Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
BKM120: PI3K inhibitor
BYL719: PI3K inhibitor
Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteCompleted
72NCT02571725Olaparib: PARP inhibitor
Tremelimumab: CTLA-4 inhibitor
New Mexico Cancer Care AllianceActive, not recruiting
73NCT05494580Pamiparib: PARP inhibitor
Surufatinib: TKI
Sun Yat-sen UniversityNot yet recruiting
74NCT00130520Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Erlotinib: EGFR inhibitor
University of ArizonaCompleted
75NCT04938583Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Oregovomab: Anti-CA125 antibody
Korean Cancer Study GroupRecruiting
76NCT01551745Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Vigil™ Vaccine
Gradalis, Inc.Completed
77NCT01202890Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Lenalidomide: Immunomodulatory drug
New Mexico Cancer Care AllianceTerminated
78NCT01091259Bevacizumab: Anti-VEGF antibody
Irinotecan: Topoisomerase inhibitor
NYU Langone HealthCompleted
79NCT05113368Regorafenib: Multi-kinase inhibitor
Fulvestrant: ER degrader
Case Comprehensive Cancer CenterNot yet recruiting
80NCT04625270VS-6766: Dual RAF/MEK Inhibitor
Defactinib: FAK Inhibitor
Verastem, Inc.Recruiting
81NCT01936363Pimasertib: MEK inhibitor
SAR245409: PI3K inhibitor
EMD SeronoCompleted
82NCT04998760ATG-008: mTORC1/2 inhibitor
ATG-010: Selective inhibitor of nuclear export compound
Chongqing University Cancer HospitalNot yet recruiting
83NCT05057715VCN-01: Oncolytic adenovirus
huCART-meso Cells
University of PennsylvaniaRecruiting
84NCT02019524E39: peptide vaccine
J65: peptide vaccine
San Antonio Military Medical CenterCompleted
85NCT00003386BCG vaccine
autologous tumor cell vaccine
Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson UniversityTerminated
86NCT02055690Pazopanib: VEGFR inhibitor
Fosbretabulin: Microtubule-targeting agent
The Christie NHS Foundation TrustTerminated
87NCT00408590carcinoembryonic antigen-expressing measles virus
oncolytic measles virus encoding thyroidal sodium iodide symporter
Mayo ClinicCompleted
88NCT00799110Dendritic Cell/Tumor Fusion Vaccine
GM-CSF
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterActive, not recruiting
89NCT00181688Iressa: EGFR inhibitor
Arimidex: Aromatase inhibitor
Massachusetts General HospitalCompleted

Clinical trials of multi-immunotherapy in ovarian cancer.

PD-1, Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1; NY-ESO-1, New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-1; WT1, Wilms’ tumour 1; PARP, Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase; VEGF, Vascular endothelial growth factor; TKI, tyrosine kinase inhibitor; TLR, Toll-like receptors; ER, Estrogen receptor; CDK, Cyclin-dependent kinase; PD-L1, Programmed cell death ligand 1; MEK, Mitogen-activated protein kinase; BET, Bromodomain and extraterminal domain; HDAC, Histone deacetylase; PYK2, Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2; ATR, Ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein; CTLA-4, Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4; Hsp90, Heat shock protein 90; Wee1, Wee1-like protein kinase; FGFR, Fibroblast growth factor receptor; NDC, Nanoparticle-drug conjugate; PI3K, Phosphoinositide 3-kinase; EGFR, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor; CA125, carbohydrate antigen 125; RAF, Rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma; FAK, Focal adhesion kinase; mTOR, Mechanistic target of rapamycin.

To conclude, multi-immunotherapies of ovarian cancer are far from fully elucidated. Future studies should focus on fully recognizing immunogenic characteristics, developing biomarkers, and selecting eligible patients. Multi-immunotherapy is supposed to combine immunotherapies rationally while minimizing toxicities.

Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant number No. 81821002; Sichuan Science and Technology Program, grant number 2021YJ0011.

Acknowledgments

Images were created with Biorender.com.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Statements

Author contributions

XYH wrote the initial draft of manuscript. CB and XZ revised the manuscript. TY reviewed and approved content. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

  • 1

    JiangYWangCZhouS. Targeting tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer: Premise and promise. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer (2020) 1873(2):188361. doi: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2020.188361

  • 2

    RodriguezGMGalpinKJCMcCloskeyCWVanderhydenBC. The tumor microenvironment of epithelial ovarian cancer and its influence on response to immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) (2018) 10(8):242. doi: 10.3390/cancers10080242

  • 3

    WalkerCMojaresEDel Río HernándezA. Role of extracellular matrix in development and cancer progression. Int J Mol Sci (2018) 19(10):3028. doi: 10.3390/ijms19103028

  • 4

    MalikRLelkesPICukiermanE. Biomechanical and biochemical remodeling of stromal extracellular matrix in cancer. Trends Biotechnol (2015) 33(4):230–6. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2015.01.004

  • 5

    CoxTR. The matrix in cancer. Nat Rev Cancer (2021) 21(4):217–38. doi: 10.1038/s41568-020-00329-7

  • 6

    BaciDBosiAGallazziMRizziMNoonanDMPoggiAet al. The ovarian cancer tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) as target for therapy: A focus on innate immunity cells as therapeutic effectors. Int J Mol Sci (2020) 21(9):3125. doi: 10.3390/ijms21093125

  • 7

    GhoneumAAlmousaSWarrenBAbdulfattahAYShuJAbouelfadlHet al. Exploring the clinical value of tumor microenvironment in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Semin Cancer Biol (2021) 77:8398. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.12.024

  • 8

    Meric-BernstamFLarkinJTaberneroJBoniniC. Enhancing anti-tumour efficacy with immunotherapy combinations. Lancet (2021) 397(10278):1010–22. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32598-8

  • 9

    YangYYangYYangJZhaoXWeiX. Tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer: Function and therapeutic strategy. Front Cell Dev Biol (2020) 8:758. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00758

  • 10

    LiuYTSunZJ. Turning cold tumors into hot tumors by improving T-cell infiltration. Theranostics (2021) 11(11):5365–86. doi: 10.7150/thno.58390

  • 11

    GalonJBruniD. Approaches to treat immune hot, altered and cold tumours with combination immunotherapies. Nat Rev Drug Discov (2019) 18(3):197218. doi: 10.1038/s41573-018-0007-y

  • 12

    PlummerR. Perspective on the pipeline of drugs being developed with modulation of DNA damage as a target. Clin Cancer Res (2010) 16(18):4527–31. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-10-0984

  • 13

    BrownJSO'CarriganBJacksonSPYapTA. Targeting DNA repair in cancer: Beyond PARP inhibitors. Cancer Discov (2017) 7(1):2037. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-16-0860

  • 14

    GavandeNSVanderVere-CarozzaPSHinshawHDJalalSISearsCRPawelczakKSet al. DNA Repair targeted therapy: The past or future of cancer treatment? Pharmacol Ther (2016) 160:6583. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2016.02.003

  • 15

    LaFargueCJDal MolinGZSoodAKColemanRL. Exploring and comparing adverse events between PARP inhibitors. Lancet Oncol (2019) 20(1):e15–28. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30786-1

  • 16

    KurnitKCAvilaMHinchcliffEMColemanRLWestinSN. PARP inhibition in the ovarian cancer patient: Current approvals and future directions. Pharmacol Ther (2020) 213:107588. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107588

  • 17

    MirzaMRColemanRLGonzález-MartínAMooreKNColomboNRay-CoquardIet al. The forefront of ovarian cancer therapy: update on PARP inhibitors. Ann Oncol (2020) 31(9):1148–59. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2020.06.004

  • 18

    MirzaMRMonkBJHerrstedtJOzaAMMahnerSRedondoAet al. Niraparib maintenance therapy in platinum-sensitive, recurrent ovarian cancer. N Engl J Med (2016) 375(22):2154–64. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1611310

  • 19

    ColemanRLOzaAMLorussoDAghajanianCOakninADeanAet al. Rucaparib maintenance treatment for recurrent ovarian carcinoma after response to platinum therapy (ARIEL3): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet (2017) 390(10106):1949–61. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32440-6

  • 20

    LedermannJAOzaAMLorussoDAghajanianCOakninADeanAet al. Rucaparib for patients with platinum-sensitive, recurrent ovarian carcinoma (ARIEL3): post-progression outcomes and updated safety results from a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol (2020) 21(5):710–22. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30061-9

  • 21

    MooreKColomboNScambiaGKimBGOakninAFriedlanderMet al. Maintenance olaparib in patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer. N Engl J Med (2018) 379(26):2495–505. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1810858

  • 22

    FrenelJSKimJWAryalNAsherRBertonDVidalLet al. Efficacy of subsequent chemotherapy for patients with BRCA1/2-mutated recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer progressing on olaparib versus placebo maintenance: post-hoc analyses of the SOLO2/ENGOT ov-21 trial. Ann Oncol (2022) S0923-7534(22)01740-9. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2022.06.011

  • 23

    BurkiTK. Veliparib for advanced ovarian cancer. Lancet Oncol (2019) 20(11):e616. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30630-8

  • 24

    MonkBJMinionLEColemanRL. Anti-angiogenic agents in ovarian cancer: past, present, and future. Ann Oncol (2016) 27 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):i33–9. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdw093

  • 25

    NusratOBelotteJFletcherNMMemajISaedMGDiamondMPet al. The role of angiogenesis in the persistence of chemoresistance in epithelial ovarian cancer. Reprod Sci (2016) 23(11):1484–92. doi: 10.1177/1933719116645191

  • 26

    SinghNBadrunDGhatageP. State of the art and up-and-coming angiogenesis inhibitors for ovarian cancer. Expert Opin Pharmacother (2020) 21(13):1579–90. doi: 10.1080/14656566.2020.1775813

  • 27

    TentoriLLacalPMMuziADorioASLeonettiCScarsellaMet al. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition or PARP-1 gene deletion reduces angiogenesis. Eur J Cancer (2007) 43(14):2124–33. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2007.07.010

  • 28

    LimJJYangKTaylor-HardingBWiedemeyerWRBuckanovichRJ. VEGFR3 inhibition chemosensitizes ovarian cancer stemlike cells through down-regulation of BRCA1 and BRCA2. Neoplasia (2014) 16(4):34353.e1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.neo.2014.04.003

  • 29

    BindraRSGibsonSLMengAWestermarkUJasinMPierceAJet al. Hypoxia-induced down-regulation of BRCA1 expression by E2Fs. Cancer Res (2005) 65(24):11597–604. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-05-2119

  • 30

    AroraSBalasubramaniamSZhangHBermanTNarayanPSuzmanDet al. FDA Approval summary: Olaparib monotherapy or in combination with bevacizumab for the maintenance treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Oncologist (2021) 26(1):e164–72. doi: 10.1002/onco.13551

  • 31

    Ray-CoquardIPautierPPignataSPérolDGonzález-MartínABergerRet al. Olaparib plus bevacizumab as first-line maintenance in ovarian cancer. N Engl J Med (2019) 381(25):2416–28. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1911361

  • 32

    BizzaroFFuso NeriniITaylorMAAnastasiaARussoMDamiaGet al. VEGF pathway inhibition potentiates PARP inhibitor efficacy in ovarian cancer independent of BRCA status. J Hematol Oncol (2021) 14(1):186. doi: 10.1186/s13045-021-01196-x

  • 33

    LiuJFBarryWTBirrerMLeeJMBuckanovichRJFlemingGFet al. Combination cediranib and olaparib versus olaparib alone for women with recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer: a randomised phase 2 study. Lancet Oncol (2014) 15(11):1207–14. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(14)70391-2

  • 34

    LiuJFBradyMFMatulonisUAMillerAKohnECSwisherEMet al. Olaparib with or without cediranib versus platinum-based chemotherapy in recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer (NRG-GY004): A randomized, open-label, phase III trial. J Clin Oncol (2022) 40(19):2138–47. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.02011

  • 35

    MirzaMRÅvall LundqvistEBirrerMJdePont ChristensenRNyvangGBMalanderSet al. Niraparib plus bevacizumab versus niraparib alone for platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer (NSGO-AVANOVA2/ENGOT-ov24): a randomised, phase 2, superiority trial. Lancet Oncol (2019) 20(10):1409–19. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30515-7

  • 36

    KonstantinopoulosPAWaggonerSVidalGAMitaMMoroneyJWHollowayRet al. Single-arm phases 1 and 2 trial of niraparib in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian carcinoma. JAMA Oncol (2019) 5(8):1141–9. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.1048

  • 37

    Alvarez SecordAO'MalleyDMSoodAKWestinSNLiuJF. Rationale for combination PARP inhibitor and antiangiogenic treatment in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: A review. Gynecol Oncol (2021) 162(2):482–95. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2021.05.018

  • 38

    LeeEKKonstantinopoulosPA. Combined PARP and immune checkpoint inhibition in ovarian cancer. Trends Cancer (2019) 5(9):524–8. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2019.06.004

  • 39

    WangZSunKXiaoYFengBMikuleKMaXet al. Niraparib activates interferon signaling and potentiates anti-PD-1 antibody efficacy in tumor models. Sci Rep (2019) 9(1):1853. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-38534-6

  • 40

    ShenJZhaoWJuZWangLPengYLabrieMet al. PARPi triggers the STING-dependent immune response and enhances the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade independent of BRCAness. Cancer Res (2019) 79(2):311–9. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-18-1003

  • 41

    LampertEJZimmerAPadgetMCimino-MathewsANairJRLiuYet al. Combination of PARP inhibitor olaparib, and PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab, in recurrent ovarian cancer: a proof-of-Concept phase II study. Clin Cancer Res (2020) 26(16):4268–79. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-0056

  • 42

    WangDLiCZhangYWangMJiangNXiangLet al. Combined inhibition of PI3K and PARP is effective in the treatment of ovarian cancer cells with wild-type PIK3CA genes. Gynecol Oncol (2016) 142(3):548–56. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2016.07.092

  • 43

    KonstantinopoulosPABarryWTBirrerMWestinSNCadooKAShapiroGIet al. Olaparib and α-specific PI3K inhibitor alpelisib for patients with epithelial ovarian cancer: a dose-escalation and dose-expansion phase 1b trial. Lancet Oncol (2019) 20(4):570–80. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30905-7

  • 44

    WestinSNLabrieMLittonJKBlucherAFangYVellanoCPet al. Phase ib dose expansion and translational analyses of olaparib in combination with capivasertib in recurrent endometrial, triple-negative breast, and ovarian cancer. Clin Cancer Res (2021) 27(23):6354–65. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-1656

  • 45

    KimHXuHGeorgeEHallbergDKumarSJagannathanVet al. Combining PARP with ATR inhibition overcomes PARP inhibitor and platinum resistance in ovarian cancer models. Nat Commun (2020) 11(1):3726. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17127-2

  • 46

    BiegałaŁGajekAMarczakARogalskaA. PARP inhibitor resistance in ovarian cancer: Underlying mechanisms and therapeutic approaches targeting the ATR/CHK1 pathway. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer (2021) 1876(2):188633. doi: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188633

  • 47

    GabbasovRBenrubiIDO'BrienSWKraisJJJohnsonNLitwinSet al. Targeted blockade of HSP90 impairs DNA-damage response proteins and increases the sensitivity of ovarian carcinoma cells to PARP inhibition. Cancer Biol Ther (2019) 20(7):1035–45. doi: 10.1080/15384047.2019.1595279

  • 48

    KonstantinopoulosPAChengSCSupkoJGPolakMWahner-HendricksonAEIvySPet al. Combined PARP and HSP90 inhibition: preclinical and phase 1 evaluation in patients with advanced solid tumours. Br J Cancer (2022) 126(7):1027–36. doi: 10.1038/s41416-021-01664-8

  • 49

    DoKTKochupurakkalBKellandSde JongeAHedglinJPowersAet al. Phase 1 combination study of the CHK1 inhibitor prexasertib and the PARP inhibitor olaparib in high-grade serous ovarian cancer and other solid tumors. Clin Cancer Res (2021) 27(17):4710–6. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-1279

  • 50

    HiguchiTFliesDBMarjonNAMantia-SmaldoneGRonnerLGimottyPAet al. CTLA-4 blockade synergizes therapeutically with PARP inhibition in BRCA1-deficient ovarian cancer. Cancer Immunol Res (2015) 3(11):1257–68. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-15-0044

  • 51

    LuZMaoWYangHSantiago-O'FarrillJMRaskPJMondalJet al. SIK2 inhibition enhances PARP inhibitor activity synergistically in ovarian and triple-negative breast cancers. J Clin Invest (2022) 132(11):e146471. doi: 10.1172/JCI146471

  • 52

    BeauchampMCKnafoAYasmeenACarboniJMGottardisMMPollakMNet al. BMS-536924 sensitizes human epithelial ovarian cancer cells to the PARP inhibitor, 3-aminobenzamide. Gynecol Oncol (2009) 115(2):193–8. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2009.07.009

  • 53

    WangHZhangSSongLQuMZouZ. Synergistic lethality between PARP-trapping and alantolactone-induced oxidative DNA damage in homologous recombination-proficient cancer cells. Oncogene (2020) 39(14):2905–20. doi: 10.1038/s41388-020-1191-x

  • 54

    MorenoVHernandezTde MiguelMDogerBCalvoE. Adoptive cell therapy for solid tumors: Chimeric antigen receptor T cells and beyond. Curr Opin Pharmacol (2021) 59:7084. doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2021.05.004

  • 55

    Rodriguez-GarciaASharmaPPoussinMBoesteanuACMinutoloNGGittoSBet al. CAR T cells targeting MISIIR for the treatment of ovarian cancer and other gynecologic malignancies. Mol Ther (2020) 28(2):548–60. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2019.11.028

  • 56

    DuHHirabayashiKAhnSKrenNPMontgomerySAWangXet al. Antitumor responses in the absence of toxicity in solid tumors by targeting B7-H3 via chimeric antigen receptor T cells. Cancer Cell (2019) 35(2):221237.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2019.01.002

  • 57

    FuJShangYQianZHouJYanFLiuGet al. Chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) cells targeting epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) can inhibit tumor growth in ovarian cancer mouse model. J Vet Med Sci (2021) 83(2):241–7. doi: 10.1292/jvms.20-0455

  • 58

    JinLTaoHKarachiALongYHouAYNaMet al. CXCR1- or CXCR2-modified CAR T cells co-opt IL-8 for maximal antitumor efficacy in solid tumors. Nat Commun (2019) 10(1):4016. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11869-4

  • 59

    OwensGLSheardVEKalaitsidouMBlountDLadYCheadleEJet al. Preclinical assessment of CAR T-cell therapy targeting the tumor antigen 5T4 in ovarian cancer. J Immunother (2018) 41(3):130–40. doi: 10.1097/CJI.0000000000000203

  • 60

    WuJWYDandSDoigLPapenfussATScottCLHoGet al. T-Cell receptor therapy in the treatment of ovarian cancer: A mini review. Front Immunol (2021) 12:672502. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.672502

  • 61

    AoXYangYLiWTanYGuoWAoLet al. Anti-αFR CAR-engineered NK-92 cells display potent cytotoxicity against αFR-positive ovarian cancer. J Immunother (2019) 42(8):284–96. doi: 10.1097/CJI.0000000000000286

  • 62

    UedaTKumagaiAIriguchiSYasuiYMiyasakaTNakagoshiKet al. Non-clinical efficacy, safety and stable clinical cell processing of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived anti-glypican-3 chimeric antigen receptor-expressing natural killer/innate lymphoid cells. Cancer Sci (2020) 111(5):1478–90. doi: 10.1111/cas.14374

  • 63

    JanCIHuangSWCanollPBruceJNLinYCPanCMet al. Targeting human leukocyte antigen G with chimeric antigen receptors of natural killer cells convert immunosuppression to ablate solid tumors. J Immunother Cancer (2021) 9(10):e003050. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003050

  • 64

    KlapdorRWangSMorganMAZimmermannKHachenbergJBüningHet al. NK cell-mediated eradication of ovarian cancer cells with a novel chimeric antigen receptor directed against CD44. Biomedicines (2021) 9(10):1339. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9101339

  • 65

    KlapdorRWangSMorganMDörkTHackerUHillemannsPet al. Characterization of a novel third-generation anti-CD24-CAR against ovarian cancer. Int J Mol Sci (2019) 20(3):660. doi: 10.3390/ijms20030660

  • 66

    KlapdorRWangSHackerUBüningHMorganMDörkTet al. Improved killing of ovarian cancer stem cells by combining a novel chimeric antigen receptor-based immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Hum Gene Ther (2017) 28(10):886–96. doi: 10.1089/hum.2017.168

  • 67

    CaoBLiuMWangLLiangBFengYChenXet al. Use of chimeric antigen receptor NK-92 cells to target mesothelin in ovarian cancer. Biochem Biophys Res Commun (2020) 524(1):96102. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.01.053

  • 68

    LiangZDongJYangNLiSDYangZYHuangRet al. Tandem CAR-T cells targeting FOLR1 and MSLN enhance the antitumor effects in ovarian cancer. Int J Biol Sci (2021) 17(15):4365–76. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.63181

  • 69

    ZhangYWangPWangTFangYDingYQianQ. Chimeric antigen receptor T cells engineered to secrete CD40 agonist antibodies enhance antitumor efficacy. J Transl Med (2021) 19(1):82. doi: 10.1186/s12967-021-02750-4

  • 70

    ShuREvtimovVJHammettMVNguyenNNZhuangJHudsonPJet al. Engineered CAR-T cells targeting TAG-72 and CD47 in ovarian cancer. Mol Ther Oncolytics (2021) 20:325–41. doi: 10.1016/j.omto.2021.01.002

  • 71

    LiTWangJ. Therapeutic effect of dual CAR-T targeting PDL1 and MUC16 antigens on ovarian cancer cells in mice. BMC Cancer (2020) 20(1):678. doi: 10.1186/s12885-020-07180-x

  • 72

    JiangGNgYYTayJCKDuZXiaoLWangSet al. Dual CAR-T cells to treat cancers co-expressing NKG2D and PD1 ligands in xenograft models of peritoneal metastasis. Cancer Immunol Immunother (2022) Online ahead of print. doi: 10.1007/s00262-022-03247-9

  • 73

    FangJDingNGuoXSunYZhangZXieBet al. αPD-1-mesoCAR-T cells partially inhibit the growth of advanced/refractory ovarian cancer in a patient along with daily apatinib. J Immunother Cancer (2021) 9(2):e001162. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001162

  • 74

    GrosserRCherkasskyLChintalaNAdusumilliPS. Combination immunotherapy with CAR T cells and checkpoint blockade for the treatment of solid tumors. Cancer Cell (2019) 36(5):471–82. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2019.09.006

  • 75

    ThakurASchollerJSchalkDLJuneCHLumLGet al. Enhanced cytotoxicity against solid tumors by bispecific antibody-armed CD19 CAR T cells: a proof-of-concept study. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol (2020) 146(8):2007–16. doi: 10.1007/s00432-020-03260-4

  • 76

    KoneruMPurdonTJSpriggsDKoneruSBrentjensRJ. IL-12 secreting tumor-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T cells eradicate ovarian tumors in vivo. Oncoimmunology (2015) 4(3):e994446. doi: 10.4161/2162402X.2014.994446

  • 77

    SongDGYeQSantoroSFangCBestAPowellDJet al. Chimeric NKG2D CAR-expressing T cell-mediated attack of human ovarian cancer is enhanced by histone deacetylase inhibition. Hum Gene Ther (2013) 24(3):295305. doi: 10.1089/hum.2012.143

  • 78

    WhildingLMHalimLDraperBParente-PereiraACZabinskiTDaviesDMet al. CAR T-cells targeting the integrin αvβ6 and Co-expressing the chemokine receptor CXCR2 demonstrate enhanced homing and efficacy against several solid malignancies. Cancers (Basel) (2019) 11(5):674. doi: 10.3390/cancers11050674

  • 79

    LiuGZhangQLiuGLiDZhangLGuZet al. Disruption of adenosine 2A receptor improves the anti-tumor function of anti-mesothelin CAR T cells both in vitro and in vivo. Exp Cell Res (2021) 409(1):112886. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2021.112886

  • 80

    DengCZhaoJZhouSDongJCaoJGaoJet al. The vascular disrupting agent CA4P improves the antitumor efficacy of CAR-T cells in preclinical models of solid human tumors. Mol Ther (2020) 28(1):7588. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2019.10.010

  • 81

    QuYDunnZSChenXMacMullanMCinayGWangHYet al. Adenosine deaminase 1 overexpression enhances the antitumor efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T cells. Hum Gene Ther (2022) 33(5-6):223–36. doi: 10.1089/hum.2021.050

  • 82

    XieGDongHLiangYHamJDRizwanRChenJ. CAR-NK cells: A promising cellular immunotherapy for cancer. EBioMedicine (2020) 59:102975. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.102975

  • 83

    NgYYTayJCKWangS. CXCR1 expression to improve anti-cancer efficacy of intravenously injected CAR-NK cells in mice with peritoneal xenografts. Mol Ther Oncolytics (2020) 16:7585. doi: 10.1016/j.omto.2019.12.006

  • 84

    ChenYYuZTanXJiangHXuZFangYet al. CAR-macrophage: A new immunotherapy candidate against solid tumors. BioMed Pharmacother (2021) 139:111605. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111605

  • 85

    PanKFarrukhHChittepuVXuHPanCXZhuZet al. CAR race to cancer immunotherapy: from CAR T, CAR NK to CAR macrophage therapy. J Exp Clin Cancer Res (2022) 41(1):119. doi: 10.1186/s13046-022-02327-z

  • 86

    AdamsSFGrimmAJChiangCLMookerjeeAFliesDJeanSet al. Rapid tumor vaccine using toll-like receptor-activated ovarian cancer ascites monocytes. J Immunother Cancer (2020) 8(2):e000875. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2020-000875

  • 87

    KalliKRBlockMSKasiPMErskineCLHobdayTJDietzAet al. Folate receptor alpha peptide vaccine generates immunity in breast and ovarian cancer patients. Clin Cancer Res (2018) 24(13):3014–25. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-2499

  • 88

    MorisakiTHikichiTOnishiHMorisakiTKuboMHiranoTet al. Intranodal administration of neoantigen peptide-loaded dendritic cell vaccine elicits epitope-specific T cell responses and clinical effects in a patient with chemorefractory ovarian cancer with malignant ascites. Immunol Invest (2021) 50(5):562–79. doi: 10.1080/08820139.2020.1778721

  • 89

    CecilDLLiaoJBDangYCovelerALKaskAYangYet al. Immunization with a plasmid DNA vaccine encoding the n-terminus of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 in advanced ovarian cancer leads to high-level type I immune responses. Clin Cancer Res (2021) 27(23):6405–12. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-1579

  • 90

    WuDYuXWangJHuiXZhangYCaiYet al. Ovarian cancer stem cells with high ROR1 expression serve as a new prophylactic vaccine for ovarian cancer. J Immunol Res (2019) 2019:9394615. doi: 10.1155/2019/9394615

  • 91

    FucikovaJHenslerMKasikovaLLanickovaTPasulkaJRakovaJet al. An autologous dendritic cell vaccine promotes anticancer immunity in patients with ovarian cancer with low mutational burden and cold tumors. Clin Cancer Res (2022) 28(14):3053–65. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-4413

  • 92

    SinnathambyGLauerPZerfassJHansonBKarabudakAKrakoverJet al. Priming and activation of human ovarian and breast cancer-specific CD8+ T cells by polyvalent listeria monocytogenes-based vaccines. J Immunother (2009) 32(8):856–69. doi: 10.1097/CJI.0b013e3181b0b125

  • 93

    TawdeSAChablaniLAkalkotkarAD'SouzaMJ. Evaluation of microparticulate ovarian cancer vaccine via transdermal route of delivery. J Control Release (2016) 235:147–54. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2016.05.058

  • 94

    ChangMCChenYLChiangYCChenTCTangYCChenCAet al. Mesothelin-specific cell-based vaccine generates antigen-specific immunity and potent antitumor effects by combining with IL-12 immunomodulator. Gene Ther (2016) 23(1):3849. doi: 10.1038/gt.2015.85

  • 95

    ZamarinDWalderichSHollandAZhouQIasonosAETorrisiJMet al. Safety, immunogenicity, and clinical efficacy of durvalumab in combination with folate receptor alpha vaccine TPIV200 in patients with advanced ovarian cancer: a phase II trial. J Immunother Cancer (2020) 8(1):e000829. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2020-000829

  • 96

    DuraiswamyJKaluzaKMFreemanGJCoukosG. Dual blockade of PD-1 and CTLA-4 combined with tumor vaccine effectively restores T-cell rejection function in tumors. Cancer Res (2013) 73(12):3591–603. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-12-4100

  • 97

    StumpCTHoGMaoCVelizFABeissVFieldsJet al. Remission-stage ovarian cancer cell vaccine with cowpea mosaic virus adjuvant prevents tumor growth. Cancers (Basel) (2021) 13(4):627. doi: 10.3390/cancers13040627

  • 98

    KahnRMRagupathiGZhouQCIasonosAKravetzSHensleyMLet al. Long-term outcomes of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer treated with a polyvalent vaccine with bevacizumab combination. Cancer Immunol Immunother (2022) Online ahead of print. doi: 10.1007/s00262-022-03225-1

  • 99

    RocconiRPGrosenEAGhamandeSAChanJKBarveMAOhJet al. Gemogenovatucel-T (Vigil) immunotherapy as maintenance in frontline stage III/IV ovarian cancer (VITAL): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial. Lancet Oncol (2020) 21(12):1661–72. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30533-7

  • 100

    RocconiRPStevensEEBottsford-MillerJNGhamandeSAElderJDeMarsLLet al. Proof of principle study of sequential combination atezolizumab and vigil in relapsed ovarian cancer. Cancer Gene Ther (2022) 29(3-4):369–82. doi: 10.1038/s41417-021-00317-5

  • 101

    KandalaftLEPowellDJJr.ChiangCLTanyiJKimSet al. Autologous lysate-pulsed dendritic cell vaccination followed by adoptive transfer of vaccine-primed ex vivo co-stimulated T cells in recurrent ovarian cancer. Oncoimmunology (2013) 2(1):e22664. doi: 10.4161/onci.22664

  • 102

    NakashimaHMiyakeKClarkCRBekiszJFinbloomJHusainSRet al. Potent antitumor effects of combination therapy with IFNs and monocytes in mouse models of established human ovarian and melanoma tumors. Cancer Immunol Immunother (2012) 61(7):1081–92. doi: 10.1007/s00262-011-1152-x

  • 103

    ChenYLChangMCChiangYCLinHWSunNYChenCAet al. Immuno-modulators enhance antigen-specific immunity and anti-tumor effects of mesothelin-specific chimeric DNA vaccine through promoting DC maturation. Cancer Lett (2018) 425:152–63. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2018.03.032

  • 104

    WangCSteinmetzNF. CD47 blockade and cowpea mosaic virus nanoparticle in situ vaccination triggers phagocytosis and tumor killing. Adv Healthc Mater (2019) 8(8):e1801288. doi: 10.1002/adhm.201801288

  • 105

    HuXZhouWPiRZhaoXWangW. Genetically modified cancer vaccines: Current status and future prospects. Med Res Rev (2022) 42(4):1492–517. doi: 10.1002/med.21882

  • 106

    WanCKeanyMPDongHAl-AlemLFPandyaUMLazoSet al. Enhanced efficacy of simultaneous PD-1 and PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade in high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Cancer Res (2021) 81(1):158–73. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-1674

  • 107

    MiaoYRThakkarKNQianJKariolisMSHuangWNandagopalSet al. Neutralization of PD-L2 is essential for overcoming immune checkpoint blockade resistance in ovarian cancer. Clin Cancer Res (2021) 27(15):4435–48. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-0482

  • 108

    TaylanEZayouFMuraliRKarlanBYPandolSJEdderkaouiMet al. Dual targeting of GSK3B and HDACs reduces tumor growth and improves survival in an ovarian cancer mouse model. Gynecol Oncol (2020) 159(1):277–84. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2020.07.005

  • 109

    CamblinAJTanGCurleyMDYannatosIIadevaiaSRimkunasVet al. Dual targeting of IGF-1R and ErbB3 as a potential therapeutic regimen for ovarian cancer. Sci Rep (2019) 9(1):16832. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-53322-y

  • 110

    PrevisRAArmaiz-PenaGNIvanCDaltonHJRupaimooleRHansenJMet al. Role of YAP1 as a marker of sensitivity to dual AKT and P70S6K inhibition in ovarian and uterine malignancies. J Natl Cancer Inst (2017) 109(7):djw296. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djw296

  • 111

    SpiliopoulouPSpearSMirzaHGarnerIMcGarryLGrundland-FreileFet al. Dual G9A/EZH2 inhibition stimulates antitumor immune response in ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma. Mol Cancer Ther (2022) 21(4):522–34. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-21-0743

  • 112

    GartungAYangJSukhatmeVPBielenbergDRFernandesDChangJet al. Suppression of chemotherapy-induced cytokine/lipid mediator surge and ovarian cancer by a dual COX-2/sEH inhibitor. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (2019) 116(5):1698–703. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1803999116

  • 113

    ZengYLiBLiangYReevesPMQuXRanCet al. Dual blockade of CXCL12-CXCR4 and PD-1-PD-L1 pathways prolongs survival of ovarian tumor-bearing mice by prevention of immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. FASEB J (2019) 33(5):6596–608. doi: 10.1096/fj.201802067RR

  • 114

    DuraiswamyJFreemanGCoukosG. Replenish the source within: Rescuing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes by double checkpoint blockade. Oncoimmunology (2013) 2(10):e25912. doi: 10.4161/onci.25912

  • 115

    ZamarinDBurgerRASillMWPowellDJJr.LankesHAet al. Randomized phase II trial of nivolumab versus nivolumab and ipilimumab for recurrent or persistent ovarian cancer: An NRG oncology study. J Clin Oncol (2020) 38(16):1814–23. doi: 10.1200/JCO.19.02059

  • 116

    DoKTManuszakCThrashEGiobbie-HurderAHuJKellandSet al. Immune modulating activity of the CHK1 inhibitor prexasertib and anti-PD-L1 antibody LY3300054 in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer and other solid tumors. Cancer Immunol Immunother (2021) 70(10):29913000. doi: 10.1007/s00262-021-02910-x

  • 117

    MoroneyJWPowderlyJLieuCHBendellJCEckhardtSGChangCWet al. Safety and clinical activity of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab in patients with ovarian cancer: A phase ib study. Clin Cancer Res (2020) 26(21):5631–7. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-0477

  • 118

    YangMLuJZhangGWangYHeMXuQet al. CXCL13 shapes immunoactive tumor microenvironment and enhances the efficacy of PD-1 checkpoint blockade in high-grade serous ovarian cancer. J Immunother Cancer (2021) 9(1):e001136. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001136

  • 119

    ZhangQFLiJJiangKWangRGeJLYangHet al. CDK4/6 inhibition promotes immune infiltration in ovarian cancer and synergizes with PD-1 blockade in a b cell-dependent manner. Theranostics (2020) 10(23):10619–33. doi: 10.7150/thno.44871

  • 120

    SimpkinsFHevia-PaezPSunJUllmerWGilbertCAda SilvaTet al. Src inhibition with saracatinib reverses fulvestrant resistance in ER-positive ovarian cancer models in vitro and in vivo. Clin Cancer Res (2012) 18(21):5911–23. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-12-1257

  • 121

    LiLLiXHanXYangTFuJZhangYet al. An ovarian cancer model with positive ER: Reversion of ER antagonist resistance by src blockade. Oncol Rep (2014) 32(3):943–50. doi: 10.3892/or.2014.3284

  • 122

    HewKEMillerPCEl-AshryDSunJBesserAHInceTAet al. MAPK activation predicts poor outcome and the MEK inhibitor, selumetinib, reverses antiestrogen resistance in ER-positive high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Clin Cancer Res (2016) 22(4):935–47. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-15-0534

  • 123

    WenWWuJLiuLTianYBuettnerRHsiehMYet al. Synergistic anti-tumor effect of combined inhibition of EGFR and JAK/STAT3 pathways in human ovarian cancer. Mol Cancer (2015) 14:100. doi: 10.1186/s12943-015-0366-5

  • 124

    OrrBMahdiHFangYStrangeMUygunIRanaMet al. Phase I trial combining chemokine-targeting with loco-regional chemoimmunotherapy for recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer shows induction of CXCR3 ligands and markers of type 1 immunity. Clin Cancer Res (2022) 28(10):2038–49. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-3659

  • 125

    ShaoMHollarSChamblissDSchmittJEmersonRChelladuraiBet al. Targeting the insulin growth factor and the vascular endothelial growth factor pathways in ovarian cancer. Mol Cancer Ther (2012) 11(7):1576–86. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-11-0961

  • 126

    HuangJHuWHuLPrevisRADaltonHJYangXYet al. Dll4 inhibition plus aflibercept markedly reduces ovarian tumor growth. Mol Cancer Ther (2016) 15(6):1344–52. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-15-0144

  • 127

    GuoTGuCLiBXuC. Dual inhibition of FGFR4 and BCL-xL inhibits multi-resistant ovarian cancer with BCL2L1 gain. Aging (Albany NY) (2021) 13(15):19750–9. doi: 10.18632/aging.203386

  • 128

    LeeDWLeeWKwonMLeeHN. Dual inhibition of FOXM1 and its compensatory signaling pathway decreased the survival of ovarian cancer cells. Oncol Rep (2021) 45(1):390400. doi: 10.3892/or.2020.7845

  • 129

    SimpkinsFJangKYoonHHewKEKimMAzzamDJet al. Dual src and MEK inhibition decreases ovarian cancer growth and targets tumor initiating stem-like cells. Clin Cancer Res (2018) 24(19):4874–86. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-3697

  • 130

    LiuMThomasSLDeWittAKZhouWMadajZBOhtaniHet al. Dual inhibition of DNA and histone methyltransferases increases viral mimicry in ovarian cancer cells. Cancer Res (2018) 78(20):5754–66. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-17-3953

  • 131

    IavaroneCZervantonakisIKSelforsLMPalakurthiSLiuJFDrapkinRet al. Combined MEK and BCL-2/X(L) inhibition is effective in high-grade serous ovarian cancer patient-derived xenograft models and BIM levels are predictive of responsiveness. Mol Cancer Ther (2019) 18(3):642–55. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-18-0413

  • 132

    SheppardKECullinaneCHannanKMWallMChanJBarberFet al. Synergistic inhibition of ovarian cancer cell growth by combining selective PI3K/mTOR and RAS/ERK pathway inhibitors. Eur J Cancer (2013) 49(18):3936–44. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2013.08.007

  • 133

    SunLYinYClarkLHSunWSullivanSATranAQet al. Dual inhibition of glycolysis and glutaminolysis as a therapeutic strategy in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Oncotarget (2017) 8(38):63551–61. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.18854

  • 134

    WangKZhuCHeYZhangZZhouWMuhammadNet al. Restraining cancer cells by dual metabolic inhibition with a mitochondrion-targeted Platinum(II) complex. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl (2019) 58(14):4638–43. doi: 10.1002/anie.201900387

  • 135

    MakiiCIkedaYOdaKUeharaYNishijimaAKosoTet al. Anti-tumor activity of dual inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and MDM2 against clear cell ovarian carcinoma. Gynecol Oncol (2019) 155(2):331–9. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2019.08.028

  • 136

    LamichhanePKaryampudiLShreederBKrempskiJBahrDDaumJet al. IL10 release upon PD-1 blockade sustains immunosuppression in ovarian cancer. Cancer Res (2017) 77(23):6667–78. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-17-0740

  • 137

    KimPSJochemsCGrengaIDonahueRNTsangKYGulleyJLet al. Pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor, GX15-070 (obatoclax), decreases human T regulatory lymphocytes while preserving effector T lymphocytes: a rationale for its use in combination immunotherapy. J Immunol (2014) 192(6):2622–33. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1301369

  • 138

    FukuharaHInoYTodoT. Oncolytic virus therapy: A new era of cancer treatment at dawn. Cancer Sci (2016) 107(10):1373–9. doi: 10.1111/cas.13027

  • 139

    MondalMGuoJHePZhouD. Recent advances of oncolytic virus in cancer therapy. Hum Vaccin Immunother (2020) 16(10):2389–402. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2020.1723363

  • 140

    McGrayAJRHuangRYBattagliaSEppolitoCMiliottoAStephensonKBet al. Oncolytic maraba virus armed with tumor antigen boosts vaccine priming and reveals diverse therapeutic response patterns when combined with checkpoint blockade in ovarian cancer. J Immunother Cancer (2019) 7(1):189. doi: 10.1186/s40425-019-0641-x

  • 141

    GautamABeissVWangCWangLSteinmetzNF. Plant viral nanoparticle conjugated with anti-PD-1 peptide for ovarian cancer immunotherapy. Int J Mol Sci (2021) 22(18):9733. doi: 10.3390/ijms22189733

  • 142

    LiuZRavindranathanRKalinskiPGuoZSBartlettDL. Rational combination of oncolytic vaccinia virus and PD-L1 blockade works synergistically to enhance therapeutic efficacy. Nat Commun (2017) 8:14754. doi: 10.1038/ncomms14754

  • 143

    HardwickNRFrankelPRuelCKilpatrickJTsaiWKosFet al. p53-reactive T cells are associated with clinical benefit in patients with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer after treatment with a p53 vaccine and gemcitabine chemotherapy. Clin Cancer Res (2018) 24(6):1315–25. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-2709

  • 144

    KowalskySJLiuZFeistMBerkeySEMaCRavindranathanRet al. Superagonist IL-15-Armed oncolytic virus elicits potent antitumor immunity and therapy that are enhanced with PD-1 blockade. Mol Ther (2018) 26(10):2476–86. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2018.07.013

  • 145

    MatuszewskaKSantryLAvan VlotenJPAuYeungAWKMajorPPLawlerJet al. Combining vascular normalization with an oncolytic virus enhances immunotherapy in a preclinical model of advanced-stage ovarian cancer. Clin Cancer Res (2019) 25(5):1624–38. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-18-0220

  • 146

    LeeSYangWKimDKKimHShinMChoiKUet al. Inhibition of MEK-ERK pathway enhances oncolytic vaccinia virus replication in doxorubicin-resistant ovarian cancer. Mol Ther Oncolytics (2022) 25:211–24. doi: 10.1016/j.omto.2022.04.006

  • 147

    ArulanandamRTahaZGarciaVSelmanMChenAVaretteOet al. The strategic combination of trastuzumab emtansine with oncolytic rhabdoviruses leads to therapeutic synergy. Commun Biol (2020) 3(1):254. doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-0972-7

  • 148

    LiuCErlichmanCMcDonaldCJIngleJNZollmanPIankovIet al. Heat shock protein inhibitors increase the efficacy of measles virotherapy. Gene Ther (2008) 15(14):1024–34. doi: 10.1038/gt.2008.30

  • 149

    DoldCRodriguez UrbiolaCWollmannGEgererLMuikABellmannLet al. Application of interferon modulators to overcome partial resistance of human ovarian cancers to VSV-GP oncolytic viral therapy. Mol Ther Oncolytics (2016) 3:16021. doi: 10.1038/mto.2016.21

  • 150

    ZhangYQTsaiYCMonieAWuTCHungCF. Enhancing the therapeutic effect against ovarian cancer through a combination of viral oncolysis and antigen-specific immunotherapy. Mol Ther (2010) 18(4):692–9. doi: 10.1038/mt.2009.318

  • 151

    ChangCLMaBPangXWuTCHungCF. Treatment with cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors enables repeated administration of vaccinia virus for control of ovarian cancer. Mol Ther (2009) 17(8):1365–72. doi: 10.1038/mt.2009.118

  • 152

    TsengJCGranotTDiGiacomoVLevinBMerueloD. Enhanced specific delivery and targeting of oncolytic sindbis viral vectors by modulating vascular leakiness in tumor. Cancer Gene Ther (2010) 17(4):244–55. doi: 10.1038/cgt.2009.70

  • 153

    StegelmeierAASantryLAGuillemanMMMatuszewskaKMinottJAYatesJGEet al. AAV-vectored expression of the vascular normalizing agents 3TSR and Fc3TSR, and the anti-angiogenic bevacizumab extends survival in a murine model of end-stage epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Biomedicines (2022) 10(2):362. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10020362

  • 154

    BrowneATookmanLAIngemarsdotterCKBouwmanRDPirloKWangYet al. Pharmacological inhibition of β3 integrin reduces the inflammatory toxicities caused by oncolytic adenovirus without compromising anticancer activity. Cancer Res (2015) 75(14):2811–21. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-14-3761

  • 155

    ParkJYLeeJYLeeYYShimSHSuhDHKimJW. Major clinical research advances in gynecologic cancer in 2021. J Gynecol Oncol (2022) 33(2):e43. doi: 10.3802/jgo.2022.33.e43

  • 156

    JavellanaMEckertMAHeideJZawieraczKWeigertMAshleySet al. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy induces genomic and transcriptomic changes in ovarian cancer. Cancer Res (2022) 82(1):169–76. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-1467

  • 157

    ZhangKErkanEPJamalzadehSDaiJAnderssonNKaipioKet al. Longitudinal single-cell RNA-seq analysis reveals stress-promoted chemoresistance in metastatic ovarian cancer. Sci Adv (2022) 8(8):eabm1831. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abm1831

  • 158

    RayUJungDBJinLXiaoYDasariSSarkar BhattacharyaSet al. Targeting LRRC15 inhibits metastatic dissemination of ovarian cancer. Cancer Res (2022) 82(6):1038–54. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-0622

  • 159

    GershensonDMMillerABradyWEPaulJCartyKRodgersWet al. Trametinib versus standard of care in patients with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer (GOG 281/LOGS): an international, randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 2/3 trial. Lancet (2022) 399(10324):541–53. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02175-9

  • 160

    MooreKNChambersSKHamiltonEPChenLMOzaAMGhamandeSAet al. Adavosertib with chemotherapy in patients with primary platinum-resistant ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer: An open-label, four-arm, phase II study. Clin Cancer Res (2022) 28(1):3644. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-0158

  • 161

    CoffmanLGOrellanaTJLiuTFrisbieLGNormolleDGriffithKet al. Phase I trial of ribociclib with platinum chemotherapy in ovarian cancer. JCI Insight (2022) 7(18):e160573. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.160573

  • 162

    DoddapaneniBSAl-FateaseAMRaoDAAlaniAWG. Dual-drug loaded micelle for combinatorial therapy targeting HIF and mTOR signaling pathways for ovarian cancer treatment. J Control Release (2019) 307:272–81. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.06.036

  • 163

    AlhadadLJHarisaGIAlanaziFK. Design and encapsulation of anticancer dual HSP27 and HER2 inhibitor into low density lipoprotein to target ovarian cancer cells. Saudi Pharm J (2020) 28(4):387–96. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2020.01.020

  • 164

    HerreraFGIrvingMKandalaftLECoukosG. Rational combinations of immunotherapy with radiotherapy in ovarian cancer. Lancet Oncol (2019) 20(8):e417–33. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30401-2

  • 165

    HerreraFGRonetCOchoa de OlzaMBarrasDCrespoIAndreattaMet al. Low-dose radiotherapy reverses tumor immune desertification and resistance to immunotherapy. Cancer Discov (2022) 12(1):108–33. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-0003

  • 166

    PatelRCzaparAEFieringSOleinickNLSteinmetzNF. Radiation therapy combined with cowpea mosaic virus nanoparticle in situ vaccination initiates immune-mediated tumor regression. ACS Omega (2018) 3(4):3702–7. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.8b00227

  • 167

    BoganiGLopezSMantieroMDucceschiMBosioSRuisiSet al. Immunotherapy for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Gynecol Oncol (2020) 158(2):484–8. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2020.05.681

  • 168

    KurnitKCFlemingGFLengyelE. Updates and new options in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer treatment. Obstet Gynecol (2021) 137(1):108–21. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004173

  • 169

    Ray-CoquardILorussoD. Immunotherapy and epithelial ovarian cancer: a double-edged sword? Ann Oncol (2017) 28(5):909–10. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdx102

  • 170

    WangJYLuAQChenLJ. LncRNAs in ovarian cancer. Clin Chim Acta (2019) 490:1727. doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2018.12.013

  • 171

    WuJWuYGuoQWangSWuX. RNA-Binding proteins in ovarian cancer: a novel avenue of their roles in diagnosis and treatment. J Transl Med (2022) 20(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s12967-022-03245-6

  • 172

    WangJLiuL. MiR-149-3p promotes the cisplatin resistance and EMT in ovarian cancer through downregulating TIMP2 and CDKN1A. J Ovarian Res (2021) 14(1):165. doi: 10.1186/s13048-021-00919-5

  • 173

    XuHWangXZhangYZhengWZhangH. GATA6-AS1 inhibits ovarian cancer cell proliferation and migratory and invasive abilities by sponging miR-19a-5p and upregulating TET2. Oncol Lett (2021) 22(4):718. doi: 10.3892/ol.2021.12979

  • 174

    ChenHLiuYLiuPDaiQWangP. LINC01094 promotes the invasion of ovarian cancer cells and regulates the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by targeting miR-532-3p. Exp Ther Med (2021) 22(5):1228. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10662

  • 175

    JiangRZhangHZhouJWangJXuYZhangHet al. Inhibition of long non-coding RNA XIST upregulates microRNA-149-3p to repress ovarian cancer cell progression. Cell Death Dis (2021) 12(2):145. doi: 10.1038/s41419-020-03358-0

  • 176

    LiuHRZhaoJ. Effect and mechanism of miR-217 on drug resistance, invasion and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells through a regulatory axis of CUL4B gene silencing/inhibited wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activation. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci (2021) 25(1):94107. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202101_24353

  • 177

    ZhuFJLiJZWangLL. MicroRNA-1-3p inhibits the growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells by targeting DYNLT3. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci (2020) 24(17):8713–21. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202009_22808

  • 178

    ZuoYZhengWTangQLiuJWangSXinC. miR−576−3p overexpression enhances cisplatin sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells by dysregulating PD−L1 and cyclin D1. Mol Med Rep (2021) 23(1):81. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2020.11719

  • 179

    YanMHanMYangXShenRWangHZhangLet al. Dual inhibition of EGFR and IL-6-STAT3 signalling by miR-146b: a potential targeted therapy for epithelial ovarian cancer. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem (2021) 36(1):1905–15. doi: 10.1080/14756366.2021.1963240

  • 180

    WangWFangFOzesANephewKP. Targeting ovarian cancer stem cells by dual inhibition of HOTAIR and DNA methylation. Mol Cancer Ther (2021) 20(6):1092–101. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-20-0826

  • 181

    ChuangTCWuKLinYYKuoHPKaoMCWangVet al. Dual down-regulation of EGFR and ErbB2 by berberine contributes to suppression of migration and invasion of human ovarian cancer cells. Environ Toxicol (2021) 36(5):737–47. doi: 10.1002/tox.23076

Summary

Keywords

ovarian cancer, immunotherapy, multi-immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitor, adoptive cell therapy, cancer vaccine, oncolytic virus

Citation

Hu X, Bian C, Zhao X and Yi T (2022) Efficacy evaluation of multi-immunotherapy in ovarian cancer: From bench to bed. Front. Immunol. 13:1034903. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1034903

Received

02 September 2022

Accepted

26 September 2022

Published

06 October 2022

Volume

13 - 2022

Edited by

Qi Zhao, University of Macau, China

Reviewed by

Yiqing Zhao, Case Western Reserve University, United States; Bihui Cao, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China

Updates

Copyright

*Correspondence: Tao Yi,

This article was submitted to Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy, a section of the journal Frontiers in Immunology

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Outline

Figures

Cite article

Copy to clipboard


Export citation file


Share article

Article metrics