The immunotherapy breakthroughs in cervical cancer: Focus on potential biomarkers and further therapy advances

Despite the well-established role of human papillomavirus (HPV) as the primary cause of cervical cancer (CC) and the existence of an effective HPV vaccine, over half a million women are diagnosed with CC globally each year, with more than half of them dying from the disease. Immunotherapy has rapidl...

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Main Authors: Maja Pezer Naletilić, Krešimir Tomić, Kristina Katić, Zoran Gatalica, Gordan Srkalović, Eduard Vrdoljak, Semir Vranić
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association of Basic Medical Sciences of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2025-05-01
Series:Biomolecules & Biomedicine
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Online Access:https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/12597
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author Maja Pezer Naletilić
Krešimir Tomić
Kristina Katić
Zoran Gatalica
Gordan Srkalović
Eduard Vrdoljak
Semir Vranić
author_facet Maja Pezer Naletilić
Krešimir Tomić
Kristina Katić
Zoran Gatalica
Gordan Srkalović
Eduard Vrdoljak
Semir Vranić
author_sort Maja Pezer Naletilić
collection DOAJ
description Despite the well-established role of human papillomavirus (HPV) as the primary cause of cervical cancer (CC) and the existence of an effective HPV vaccine, over half a million women are diagnosed with CC globally each year, with more than half of them dying from the disease. Immunotherapy has rapidly become a cornerstone of cancer treatment, offering substantial improvements in survival rates and reducing treatment-related side effects compared to traditional therapies. For the past 25 years, chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has been the standard treatment for locally advanced CC. However, while adjuvant chemotherapy has failed to improve outcomes in locally advanced CC, the integration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) with CRT, as well as chemoimmunoradiotherapy followed by consolidation immunotherapy, has transformed treatment strategies, demonstrating superior efficacy compared to CRT alone. In the first-line treatment of CC, adding pembrolizumab to platinum-based chemotherapy, either with or without bevacizumab, has significantly improved outcomes compared to platinum-based chemotherapy and bevacizumab alone. This review explores the current landscape of immunotherapy and biomarker advancements in CC. Furthermore, we discuss promising future directions, including the potential of personalized immunotherapy approaches and novel combination therapies to further enhance treatment efficacy and improve prognoses for patients with CC.
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spelling doaj-art-ff1950f81d5344f2b4d7d404a3db9d8c2025-08-20T03:08:28ZengAssociation of Basic Medical Sciences of Federation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaBiomolecules & Biomedicine2831-08962831-090X2025-05-0110.17305/bb.2025.12597The immunotherapy breakthroughs in cervical cancer: Focus on potential biomarkers and further therapy advancesMaja Pezer Naletilić0Krešimir Tomić1Kristina Katić2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5037-4957Zoran Gatalica3Gordan Srkalović4Eduard Vrdoljak5Semir Vranić6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9743-7265Department of Oncology, University Hospital Center Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and HerzegovinaDepartment of Oncology, University Hospital Center Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and HerzegovinaDepartment of Gynecologic Oncology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, CroatiaReference Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of AmericaUniversity of Michigan Health-Sparrow Herbert-Herman Cancer Center, Lansing, Michigan, United States of AmericaDepartment of Oncology, University Hospital Center Split, Split, CroatiaCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, QatarDespite the well-established role of human papillomavirus (HPV) as the primary cause of cervical cancer (CC) and the existence of an effective HPV vaccine, over half a million women are diagnosed with CC globally each year, with more than half of them dying from the disease. Immunotherapy has rapidly become a cornerstone of cancer treatment, offering substantial improvements in survival rates and reducing treatment-related side effects compared to traditional therapies. For the past 25 years, chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has been the standard treatment for locally advanced CC. However, while adjuvant chemotherapy has failed to improve outcomes in locally advanced CC, the integration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) with CRT, as well as chemoimmunoradiotherapy followed by consolidation immunotherapy, has transformed treatment strategies, demonstrating superior efficacy compared to CRT alone. In the first-line treatment of CC, adding pembrolizumab to platinum-based chemotherapy, either with or without bevacizumab, has significantly improved outcomes compared to platinum-based chemotherapy and bevacizumab alone. This review explores the current landscape of immunotherapy and biomarker advancements in CC. Furthermore, we discuss promising future directions, including the potential of personalized immunotherapy approaches and novel combination therapies to further enhance treatment efficacy and improve prognoses for patients with CC. https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/12597Cervical cancerCCimmunotherapyimmune checkpoint inhibitorsICIsbiomarkers
spellingShingle Maja Pezer Naletilić
Krešimir Tomić
Kristina Katić
Zoran Gatalica
Gordan Srkalović
Eduard Vrdoljak
Semir Vranić
The immunotherapy breakthroughs in cervical cancer: Focus on potential biomarkers and further therapy advances
Biomolecules & Biomedicine
Cervical cancer
CC
immunotherapy
immune checkpoint inhibitors
ICIs
biomarkers
title The immunotherapy breakthroughs in cervical cancer: Focus on potential biomarkers and further therapy advances
title_full The immunotherapy breakthroughs in cervical cancer: Focus on potential biomarkers and further therapy advances
title_fullStr The immunotherapy breakthroughs in cervical cancer: Focus on potential biomarkers and further therapy advances
title_full_unstemmed The immunotherapy breakthroughs in cervical cancer: Focus on potential biomarkers and further therapy advances
title_short The immunotherapy breakthroughs in cervical cancer: Focus on potential biomarkers and further therapy advances
title_sort immunotherapy breakthroughs in cervical cancer focus on potential biomarkers and further therapy advances
topic Cervical cancer
CC
immunotherapy
immune checkpoint inhibitors
ICIs
biomarkers
url https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/12597
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