Immunotherapy for thoracic oncology gone viral

Immune therapy has now been incorporated into the standard of care for non-small-cell lung cancer based on randomized trials showing superiority of anti-PD1 antibodies compared with chemotherapy. Thus there is a renewed interest in immune approaches to treating lung cancer. One promising approach is with oncolytic viruses that either naturally or through engineering, preferentially infect or kill cancer cells. In preclinical models of different thoracic cancers, it has been found that these viruses can induce immune responses through multiple mechanisms. Thus, in addition to their direct cytolytic effects, oncolytic viruses can also promote antitumor immunity. This review will discuss the immune effects of oncolytic viruses lung cancers and the approaches that are underway to augment immune therapy in clinical testing.