Abstract
Immunotherapy is a paradigm-shifting advance in cancer care, but despite their success,
contemporary immunotherapy strategies are limited by several factors. The objective
response rates to checkpoint inhibitor therapy remain below 50%, and the toxicities
associated with systemically administered immunotherapies, particularly combination
immunotherapy regimens, can be devastating. Intratumoral immunotherapies represent
a burgeoning paradigm in immuno-oncology designed to address these limitations. The
direct delivery of intratumoral immunotherapies can result in concentrations of the
therapeutic agent at levels that would likely be far too toxic if administered systemically.
In this review, I summarize the sound biological framework underlying intratumoral
immunotherapies as well as provide an overview of the major categories of intratumoral
agents currently under investigation. I also emphasize the components of this treatment
strategy that are relevant for image-guided interventionalists based on existing clinical
experience.
Keywords
immunotherapy - image guided interventions - interventional oncology - oncolytic therapy
