Antibody–Drug Conjugates Plus Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Sustained Disease Control in Advanced Solid Tumors
5 affiliations
- 1Center of PRaG Therapy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215004, China
- 2Center for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
- 3Laboratory for Combined Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy of Cancer, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215025, China
- 4Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Radiation Injury Prevention and Hazardous Substance Control, Suzhou 215123, China
- 5Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation, Lianyungang 222042, China
Abstract
Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) improve outcomes in selected advanced solid tumors, but clinical benefit does not establish pharmacological synergy. This narrative review evaluates disease control during ADC–ICI therapy and the implications for radiotherapy in recurrent or metastatic disease. Prolonged disease control is assessed primarily through progression-free survival in randomized trials; response duration provides complementary evidence among responders. Overall survival, quality of life, and toxicity determine the broader clinical value of treatment. Randomized trials support specific regimens in urothelial, breast, and lung cancers, whereas negative studies argue against generalization across drugs and diseases. Antigen expression, payload delivery, and the immune microenvironment may contribute to heterogeneous outcomes, but their clinical roles remain incompletely established. Reported treatment durations do not define optimal stopping times. Radiotherapy can address local symptoms, but whether it improves systemic disease control during ADC–ICI therapy remains unproven. We distinguish direct three-modality evidence from indirect ADC–radiotherapy and ICI–radiotherapy studies and identify priorities for patient selection, outcome assessment, and safety monitoring. Current evidence supports regimen-specific treatment selection and toxicity-directed modification, not routine radiotherapy addition or elective drug withdrawal across disease settings.
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BibTeX
@article{xu2026antibodydrug,
title = {{Antibody–Drug Conjugates Plus Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Sustained Disease Control in Advanced Solid Tumors}},
author = {Meiling Xu and Jun Yin and Yao Li and Liyuan Zhang},
journal = {Cancers},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/cancers18213564},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/18/21/3564},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Antibody–Drug Conjugates Plus Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Sustained Disease Control in Advanced Solid Tumors
AU - Meiling Xu
AU - Jun Yin
AU - Yao Li
AU - Liyuan Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Cancers
DO - 10.3390/cancers18213564
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/18/21/3564
AB - Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) improve outcomes in selected advanced solid tumors, but clinical benefit does not establish pharmacological synergy. This narrative review evaluates disease control during ADC–ICI therapy and the implications for radiotherapy in recurrent or metastatic disease. Prolonged disease control is assessed primarily through progression-free survival in randomized trials; response duration provides complementary evidence among responders. Overall survival, quality of life, and toxicity determine the broader clinical value of treatment. Randomized trials support specific regimens in urothelial, breast, and lung cancers, whereas negative studies argue against generalization across drugs and diseases. Antigen expression, payload delivery, and the immune microenvironment may contribute to heterogeneous outcomes, but their clinical roles remain incompletely established. Reported treatment durations do not define optimal stopping times. Radiotherapy can address local symptoms, but whether it improves systemic disease control during ADC–ICI therapy remains unproven. We distinguish direct three-modality evidence from indirect ADC–radiotherapy and ICI–radiotherapy studies and identify priorities for patient selection, outcome assessment, and safety monitoring. Current evidence supports regimen-specific treatment selection and toxicity-directed modification, not routine radiotherapy addition or elective drug withdrawal across disease settings.
SN - 2072-6694
ER -