The paths toward immunotherapy of esophageal cancer: An overview of clinical trials

As the seventh-leading contributor to global cancer-related deaths, esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most challenging types of cancer. Despite advancements in conventional therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the five-year survival rate remains low, underscoring the need for the development of more efficacious treatment approaches. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment approach, offering new hope for EC patients. This review provides an in-depth examination of the latest immunotherapeutic strategies for EC, focusing on immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive cell therapy, cancer vaccines, and oncolytic virotherapy. We critically analyze the current clinical data to highlight the progress and pitfalls of each immunotherapeutic approach for EC. Additionally, we explore the potential for combination therapies, which could overcome the resistance often seen with monotherapies. Finally, we discuss the limitations of current treatments and outline key areas for future research to improve patient outcomes and survival.