Despite recent advances, prognosis of patients with advanced lung cancer
remains dismal. Owing to a better understanding of the interactions
between immune system and tumor cells, immunotherapy has emerged as a
promising therapeutic strategy. After the recent approval of nivolumab
and the promising results with other immune checkpoint inhibitors,
combination strategies are now subject of intensive research.
Notwithstanding these successes, immunotherapy still holds significant
drawbacks. As the target shifts from tumor cells to the tumor
microenvironment, treatment paradigms are changing and several
improvements are needed for optimal use in clinical practice. Robust
biomarkers for patient selection and a reliable way of evaluating
treatment response are high priorities. Herein we review current data on
immune checkpoint inhibitors for lung cancer treatment
