Harnessing the immunotherapeutic potential of CDK4/6 inhibitors in melanoma: is timing everything?

Abstract

CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) were developed as a cancer therapeutic on the basis of their tumor-intrinsic cytostatic potential, but have since demonstrated profound activity as immunomodulatory agents. While currently approved to treat hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, these inhibitors are under investigation in clinical trials as treatments for a range of cancer types, including melanoma. Melanoma is a highly immunogenic cancer, and has always been situated at the forefront of cancer immunotherapy development. Recent revelations into the immunotherapeutic activity of CDK4/6i, therefore, have significant implications for the utility of these agents as melanoma therapies. In recent stud..