Surgery is the preferred treatment for resectable esophageal cancer, but in locally advanced esophageal cancer, the effect of surgery alone is not ideal, so surgery-based comprehensive treatment is the best option. Neoadjuvant therapy has become a standard treatment in the treatment of locally advanced resectable esophageal cancer. Neoadjuvant therapy includes neoadjuvant chemotherapy, radiochemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, etc. With the significant efficacy and acceptable toxicity of immunotherapy in the first-line and second-line treatment of advanced esophageal cancer, neoadjuvant immunotherapy has become a research hotspot of locally advanced resectable esophageal cancer. This article reviews the latest research progress and some limitations of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in locally advanced resectable 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.