Abstract
Oncolytic viral therapies have been harnessed to treat tumors. Recent studies have sought to propose to employ combination therapies utilizing oncolytic viral and cancer immunotherapy strategies. The viral replication cycle serves as a “perfect companion” to immunomodulatory drugs such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, bispecific antibodies and adoptive cellular therapies for targeting the tumor microenvironment has been described. Oncolytic viruses are known to target multiple steps within the cancer-immunity cycle and are DNA and RNA viruses that are edited without any impairment of viral replication. According to one study, DNA viruses contain efficient DNA polymerases that maintain genomic integrity and replication. This chapter consists of a review of oncolytic viral and cancer immunotherapy combinations for various tumors and compiles the unique replicative and lytic strategies that viruses employ to enhance anti-tumor effects and mitigate immunosuppression.