TriangleFOR PATIENTS · SOURCE READING
Immunotherapy
Source: Soft Tissue Sarcoma Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: June 2, 2023 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
Context: Treatment Option Overview
Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient's immune system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against cancer.
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Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is a type of immunotherapy. Some types of immune system cells, such as T cells, and some cancer cells have certain proteins, called checkpoint proteins, on their surface that keep immune responses in check. These checkpoints help keep immune responses from being too strong and sometimes can keep T cells from killing cancer cells. When these checkpoints are blocked, T cells can kill cancer cells better.
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Types of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy include the following:
CTLA-4 inhibitor therapy: CTLA-4 is a protein on the surface of T cells that helps keep the body's immune responses in check. When CTLA-4 attaches to another protein called B7 on a cancer cell, it stops the T cell from killing the cancer cell. CTLA-4 inhibitors attach to CTLA-4 and allow the T cells to kill cancer cells.Ipilimumab is a type of CTLA-4 inhibitor that is being studied to treat soft tissue sarcoma.
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PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitor therapy: PD-1 is a protein on the surface of T cells that helps keep the body's immune responses in check. PD-L1 is a protein found on some types of cancer cells. When PD-1 attaches to PD-L1, it stops the T cell from killing the cancer cell. PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors keep PD-1 and PD-L1 proteins from attaching to each other. This allows the T cells to kill cancer cells.Pembrolizumab and nivolumab are PD-1 inhibitors that are used to treat progressive and recurrent soft tissue sarcoma.
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For more information, see Drugs Approved for Soft Tissue Sarcoma.
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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice