Improving Breast Cancer Responses to Immunotherapy-a Search for the Achilles Heel of the Tumor Microenvironment.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE OF REVIEW To explore the role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in breast cancer, identify the changes that occur in the TME during breast cancer progression, and explore the possibility of modifying the TME to improve immune checkpoint inhibitor responses. RECENT FINDINGS: Emerging evidence shows the TME may be shaped by internal and external factors. Preclinical data suggests it may be possible to shift the TME to allow for better immune infiltration. In this review, we summarize emerging evidence of changes in the TME and how it can affect prognosis and responses to therapy. We also examine pre-clinical and clinical research aiming at modulating TME to increase proportion of patients who benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors. The composition of the TME in breast cancer is likely dynamic and may be altered. These changes may lead to more or less responses to immunotherapy.