Immunotherapy in the treatment of cervical cancer

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1595925300188

• Palavras-chave: Cervical Cancer; HPV; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

• Keywords: Cervical Cancer; HPV; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

• Abstract:

  CC is one of the most prevalent types of cancer among women and represents a major challenge for public health worldwide. New therapeutic approaches, such as immunotherapy based on checkpoint inhibitors, have offered promising alternatives for the treatment of this cancer, especially in advanced cases or those that do not respond to conventional treatments. The aim is to discuss the importance of immunotherapy in the treatment of cervical cancer. The article consisted of a narrative literature review carried out through data collection in articles published in the SciELO, PubMed and VHL databases from 2019 to 2024 in Portuguese and English. Immunotherapy, including checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1, represents a significant advance in the treatment of CC, especially for advanced cases resistant to conventional treatment. In addition, emerging inhibitors, such as anti-CTLA-4, have shown potential in clinical trials. The development of new immunotherapies, such as combinations of checkpoint inhibitors and therapies that directly stimulate the immune system, as well as the exploration of emerging checkpoints, opens up new therapeutic possibilities. Personalizing treatment based on specific biomarkers, such as PD-L1 expression, tumour mutational load and the presence of specific genetic alterations, offers greater safety and efficacy, making it possible to identify patients who are more likely to respond to immunotherapy. The continuous development of immunotherapies, the identification of new checkpoints and the use of specific biomarkers strengthen the prospect of safer and more effective treatments, expanding therapeutic possibilities and improving patients' quality of life