This book provides patients and their physicians (especially “non-oncologist” health care providers) with a clear and concise introduction to cancer immunotherapy, which, unlike traditional forms of cancer therapy, acts by boosting the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. The unique features of cancer immunotherapy make its management, monitoring and side-effects different from those of traditional cancer therapy. Especially novel are the side effects of cancer immunotherapy, necessitating greater awareness for both patients and physicians in order to minimize complications of therapy. The patient-friendly, concise, easy-to-understand, and up-to-date knowledge presented in this book will inform patients about the benefits and risks of cancer immunotherapy, and help them and their care providers to understand how immunotherapy would control their unique disease. Researchers and academic professionals in the field of cancer immunotherapy will also find clear and useful information to help them communicate with patients or address unresolved problems. Some key features of the book are: Expertise. All editors and authors are scientists and oncologists specializing in cancer immunotherapy, and are involved in scientific discovery from the early stage of immune-checkpoint inhibitors to today’s daily patient care. Their insights, expertise and experience guarantee the high quality and authority in the science, medicine and practice of cancer immunotherapy. Patient-friendly. This book is written for cancer patients in order to meet their needs when considering immunotherapy. As an educational tool, this book will help the reader balance the risks and benefits based on both science and clinical facts, and therefore to make the best choice in receiving or withdrawing from immunotherapy. Disease Specificity. Cancer is a complicated disease involving multiple stages and pathology. Its response to immunotherapy is individualized and varies depending on cancer types. The authors’ expertise in treating different types of cancers, including melanoma, lung, kidney, bladder, and lymphoma, provides disease-specific insights in applying immunotherapy to each disease.

Delivery Technologies for Immuno-Oncology: Volume 1: Delivery Strategies and Engineering Technologies in Cancer Immunotherapy examines the challenges of delivering immuno-oncology therapies. Immuno-oncology (IO) is a growing field of medicine at the interface of immunology and cancer biology leading to development of novel therapeutic approaches, such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) and immune checkpoint blockade antibodies, that are clinically approved approaches for cancer therapy. Although currently approved IO approaches have shown tremendous promise for select types of cancers, broad application of IO strategies could even further improve the clinical success, especially for diseases such as pancreatic cancer, brain tumors where the success of IO so far has been limited. Nanotechnology-based targeted delivery strategies could improve the delivery efficiency of IO agents as well as provide additional avenues for novel therapeutic and vaccination strategies. Additionally, a number of locally-administered immunogenic scaffolds and therapeutic strategies, such as the use of STING agonist, could benefit from rationally designed biomaterials and delivery approaches. Delivery Technologies for Immuno-Oncology: Volume 1: Delivery Strategies and Engineering Technologies in Cancer Immunotherapy creates a comprehensive treaty that engages the scientific and medical community who are involved in the challenges of immunology, cancer biology, and therapeutics with possible solutions from the nanotechnology and drug delivery side. Comprehensive treaty covering all aspects of immuno-oncology (IO) Novel strategies for delivery of IO therapeutics and vaccines Forecasting on the future of nanotechnology and drug delivery for IO

Part 1: Intratumoral Signatures Associated With Immune Responsiveness

Basics of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) Immunotherapy presents the latest on how T cell adoptive immunotherapy has progressed in its ultimate goal of curing metastatic malignant cancers. Recent clinical data obtained with checkpoint receptor blockade inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy has been especially promising, thus generating renewed hope that we may be on the verge of finally curing cancer. Over the years, huge progress has been made in controlling several stage IV metastasized cancers through the clinical application of checkpoint receptor inhibitory drugs and CAR-Therapy that has seen unprecedented interest in the immunotherapy field. Presents the first book to provide a basic understanding of chimeric antigen receptor (CARs) design, production and clinical application protocols Provides unique authority as the editor has worked directly with CARs Discusses the challenges encountered in actual clinical trials and how these challenges can be overcome Includes a full chapter on various challenges researchers should expect to encounter in the CAR-therapy field

Thoroughly updated to reflect major advances in the field of immuno-oncology, this second edition of Cancer Immunotherapy Principles and Practice, from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), remains the definitive resource for information on tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy treatments. An essential reference for both novice and experienced cancer researchers, oncologists, and related practitioners alike, the book not only guides readers through the fundamental scientific principles of the field all the way to translational and practical clinical applications for treating and managing oncologic disease, but also provides a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory processes that support the safe and effective delivery of immunotherapy to patients with cancer. The expanded and updated second edition now spans 68 chapters, including 12 new chapters, covering major topics and innovations that have shaped the rapid development of immunotherapy and its ascension into the standard of care as first-line treatment for a growing number of disease settings. New to this edition are chapters with deeper insight into our understanding of cancer genomics and determinants of response, immunogenic cell death, cancer and stromal cell-intrinsic pathways of immune resistance, cancer immune exclusion, adoptive cell therapy, metabolomics, tumor mutation burden, immunotherapy in combination with radiation therapy, synthetic biology, and more. Complete with detailed illustrations, tables, and key points for targeted reference, Cancer Immunotherapy Principles and Practice, Second Edition is the most comprehensive and authoritative resource for scientists and clinicians looking to expand their knowledge base of this dynamic field. Key Features: Offers key insights and perspectives on cancer immunology and immunotherapy treatments from renowned experts in the field Covers the basic principles and science behind cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology Includes treatment strategies for a vast array of available immunotherapy classes and agents, such as cytokine therapies, oncolytic viruses, cancer vaccines, CAR T therapies, and combination immunotherapies Provides essential information on FDA-approved immunotherapies, including clinical management and outcome data related to response rates, risks, and toxicities Discusses special considerations for immunotherapy in the context of specific disease settings, including skin cancers, genitourinary cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, hepatocellular carcinomas, gynecologic malignancies, breast cancers, lung cancers, head and neck cancers, brain tumors, sarcomas, pediatric cancers, and treatments combined with radiation therapy Clarifies the complex regulatory aspects behind the development and approval of immunotherapy drugs

Immunotherapy is a rapidly evolving field that mandates frequent revision of the book as new insights to fight cancer emerge. The third edition of Immunotherapy is an updated overview of immuno-oncology in different cancer types and toxicities associated with immunotherapy. It explores the breath of immunotherapeutic strategies available to treat a wide range of cancers, from melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer to gastrointestinal, genitourinary, gynecologic and nervous system malignancies. With increasing use of checkpoint inhibitors as standard of care and in clinical trials, the challenges associated with their use undoubtedly increase. As objective response is limited to a subset of patients and is often associated with distinct immune related side effects that are potentially life threatening, it is essential to identify patients who are likely to respond to immunotherapy and those who are at a risk for developing treatment-related side effects. In the absence of a validated predictive biomarker, innovative technologies and assays are being used to identify critical biomarkers that drive the immune response. Hence, a chapter to provide a basic understanding of the diagnostic procedures has been included besides the chapter on the cellular components of the human immune system. This new edition will also inform readers on use of novel microbiome and imaging approaches. Finally, the book includes a chapter on patient-reported outcomes in patients treated with immunotherapies as the authors recognize the importance of including missing patient voice in clinical trials and longitudinal assessment of symptom reports. In short, the third edition of this book provides a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in the field of immune-oncology that will help health care professionals make informed treatment decisions. The book’s chapters are written by a diverse cast of experts conducting cutting-edge research, providing the reader with the most up-to-date science.

Follow along as this New York Times bestselling author details the astonishing scientific discovery of the code to unleashing the human immune system to fight in this "captivating and heartbreaking" book (The Wall Street Journal). For decades, scientists have puzzled over one of medicine's most confounding mysteries: Why doesn't our immune system recognize and fight cancer the way it does other diseases, like the common cold? As it turns out, the answer to that question can be traced to a series of tricks that cancer has developed to turn off normal immune responses -- tricks that scientists have only recently discovered and learned to defeat. The result is what many are calling cancer's "penicillin moment," a revolutionary discovery in our understanding of cancer and how to beat it. In The Breakthrough, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Nurse Charles Graeber guides readers through the revolutionary scientific research bringing immunotherapy out of the realm of the miraculous and into the forefront of twenty-first-century medical science. As advances in the fields of cancer research and the human immune system continue to fuel a therapeutic arms race among biotech and pharmaceutical research centers around the world, the next step -- harnessing the wealth of new information to create modern and more effective patient therapies -- is unfolding at an unprecedented pace, rapidly redefining our relationship with this all-too-human disease. Groundbreaking, riveting, and expertly told, The Breakthrough is the story of the game-changing scientific discoveries that unleash our natural ability to recognize and defeat cancer, as told through the experiences of the patients, physicians, and cancer immunotherapy researchers who are on the front lines. This is the incredible true story of the race to find a cure, a dispatch from the life-changing world of modern oncological science, and a brave new chapter in medical history.