Gastric Cancer and the Immune System: The Key to Improving Outcomes?

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Gastric cancer (GC) is a lethal form of cancer usually arising from the inner mucosa layer of the stomach. The treatment options for gastric cancer often includes surgery and chemotherapy, but recurrent or advanced disease remains difficult to cure. In aiming to improve outcomes, newer immune-based therapies using antibodies and strategically altered immune cells are being studied. This review summarizes the immune system’s role in the GC tumor microenvironment as well as the current research on immunologic therapies specific to GC. ABSTRACT: Gastric adenocarcinoma is by far the most common form of gastric cancer (GC) and is a highly lethal form of cancer arising from the gastric epithelium. GC is an important area of focus of the medical community, given its often late-stage of diagnosis and associated high mortality rate. While surgery and chemotherapy remain the primary treatments, attention has been drawn to the use of immunologic therapies, which have shown promise in the treatment of other malignancies. The role for immune-based therapies has become clearer as we obtain a greater understanding of the role of the immune system in gastric cancer formation and growth. A variety treatment to augment the immune system are under evaluation in clinical trials, and these include immune checkpoint inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates, and immune cell-based therapies. Here, we review the immune landscape and immune-based therapies for GC.