Dostarlimab: Novel paradigm shift in cancer therapy

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The rising global death from cancer requires novel approaches for treating various types of cancer. Numerous malignancies are now being treated more effectively by immunotherapy. Dostarlimab is an example of an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) that works by blocking the programmed cell death protein-1 receptor (PD-1). Dostarlimab has shifted the paradigm of treatment of cancer from using conventional therapies to a new, promising approach. This new approach increases the options of therapies and chances to achieve a higher response rate. Dostarlimab is a novel antibody, that prevents the binding of ligands to PD-1 on T-cells. Dostarlimab has demonstrated encouraging outcomes in the treatment of various cancers such as endometrial cancer, rectal cancer, and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The cure rate with dostarlimab in some types of cancer, such as rectal cancer, is 100 %. This review presents a recent understanding of the use of dostarlimab in clinical trials and opens up the doors for clinicians and investigators about future possibilities of using dostarlimab either alone or combined with other anticancer medications to treat various cancers.