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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.

Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1630940

This article is part of the Research TopicBreakthroughs in Immune Checkpoint Therapy: Overcoming Resistance with Novel TechniquesView all 7 articles

Breakthroughs in Immune Checkpoint Therapy: Overcoming NSCLC Immune Checkpoint Therapy Resistance with Novel Techniques

Provisionally accepted
Li-Ping  KangLi-Ping Kang1Huihui  ChenHuihui Chen1Cong  XuCong Xu2Dong-Hui  HuangDong-Hui Huang1Ze-Bo  JiangZe-Bo Jiang1*
  • 1Affiliated Zhuhai Hospital, Southern Medical University, Zhuhai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese & Western Medicine, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China., Zhuhai, China
  • 2Macau University of Science and Technology, macao, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Immune checkpoint therapy has emerged as a revolutionary approach in the field of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), offering new hope to patients with various malignancies. Despite its success, a significant proportion of patients exhibit primary or acquired resistance, limiting the efficacy of these treatments. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of recent breakthroughs in immune checkpoint therapy, focusing on the underlying biology of immune checkpoints, current checkpoint inhibitors, and the mechanisms of resistance that challenge treatment effectiveness. In particular, we will explore novel strategies designed to overcome these resistance mechanisms, including combination therapies that enhance anti-tumor immune responses, the use of personalized neoantigen vaccines, and microbiome-modulating therapies. Additionally, we will examine the role of emerging biomarkers, such as TCR clonality and T-cell inflamed gene signatures, in predicting patient responses. By synthesizing these insights, this review aims to highlight innovative approaches that could significantly improve therapeutic outcomes for patients with NSCLC and other malignancies, ultimately advancing the field of cancer immunotherapy.

Keywords: immune checkpoint inhibitors, NSCLC, resistance mechanisms, Combination immunotherapy, Epigenetic modifiers, personalized neoantigen vaccines, Microbiome signatures, T-cell inflamed gene signature

Received: 19 May 2025; Accepted: 12 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Kang, Chen, Xu, Huang and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Ze-Bo Jiang, Affiliated Zhuhai Hospital, Southern Medical University, Zhuhai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese & Western Medicine, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong, China., Zhuhai, China

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