Immunotherapy is an important treatment method in tumor therapy. Among them, programmed death-1/programmed death ligand-1 inhibitors are the immune preparations with mature application and great survival benefit at present. Programmed death-1/programmed death ligand-1 inhibitors brought better clinical benefits to patients with esophageal cancer and provided more favorable choice for the treatment of esophageal cancer. This article introduces the mechanism of action, application in esophageal cancer, and efficacy predictors of programmed death protein-1/programmed death protein ligand-1 inhibitors, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the more rational use of programmed death protein-1/programmed death protein ligand-1 inhibitors in patients with esophageal cancer.
[Abstract]Esophageal cancer remains one of the malignant tumors that threaten human health, characterized by a high incidence and significant malignancy. Currently, surgery following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancer. However, long-term prognosis remains unsatisfactory. In recent years, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have made breakthrough progress in other solid tumors, and research on their use in esophageal cancer has gradually been conducted. Given the favorable outcomes of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in first- and second-line treatments for advanced unresectable esophageal cancer, incorporating them into neoadjuvant therapy has become a focus of attention. Therefore, this article provides a review of the mechanisms of action of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and their application in neoadjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer.