OX40 and CD40 Agonists for the Treatment of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in worldwide. Lung cancer is frequently discovered at advanced ages in a high number of people. This removes surgery as a treatment option and completely relies on chemotherapy, radiotherapy merging of the above two to stop the course of the disease by focusing on the tumor cells. Unfortunately, these treatments have not always been successful, necessitating the quest for further preventive methods to lower the death rate of lung cancer. Targeting the tumor microenvironment is one of the successful therapies for lung cancer. The T-cell receptor and co-stimulatory molecules need to communicate signals in order for T cells specific to the tumor antigen to have an effect or function. Additionally, a number of immune suppressive pathways survive in the cancer microenvironment that may diminish antitumor immunity. Clinical trials have shown therapeutic potential of monoclonal antibodies to resist this inhibition and/or improve tumor-antigen-specific T-cell reactions. T-cell function is specifically enhanced by the targeting of co-stimulatory members of the (TNFR) family with agonist Abs, which has produced encouraging therapeutic outcomes in cancer-bearing animals. These propitious outcomes recommend that TNFRs play an important role in the improvement of tumor-specific immune reactions in mice models and humans. The agonists or receptors that target the TNFRs OX40 and CD40 in lung tumor will be discussed in this chapter.