The importance of CTLA-4 and PD-1 pathways in the cancer treatment

Abstract

For 30 years, chemotherapy method has been used in end-stage cancer treatments, the
biggest obstacles are that this method has too many side effects and limited number of
therapeutics for treatment. With the increasing information about the immune system,
the interest in immune cells and immune response has increased. Although the immune
response from cancer patients is kept under control, the immune system is not effective,
because the cancer cells have developed more than one resistance mechanism (such as
the inhibition of regional immunity). However, cancer cells can escape from many
obstacles that prevent the immune response, including immune checkpoints. Taking
advantage of this information, the idea developed that T cell activation checkpoints could
be more effective for cancer treatment. The first of these checkpoints, the cytotoxin T
lymphocyte-associated protein-4 known as CTLA-4, and the second important pathway
PD-1 (programmed cell death pathway-1) are the most effective. In addition, it is known
by researchers that immune checkpoints are more effective in fighting cancer than the
most known treatment techniques. In this review proceeding we will be focusing on
these two pathways for the cancer treatment.