Progress in Application of TNF-α Inhibitors in Immune Checkpoint Therapy

Immune checkpoint inhibitors significantly improves the prognosis of patients with advanced malignancy, but it is also associated with off-target toxicity caused by activation of the immune system, known as immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Severe irAEs will lead to temporary or permanent termination of immunotherapy, which greatly affects its clinical application. At present, glucocorticoids are mainly used to treat irAEs clinically. On one hand, severe adverse reactions will cause serious damage to patients' health; on the other hand, the extensive application of glucocorticoids will affect the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors. In recent years, TNF-α inhibitors have shown significant effect in reducing toxic and side effects. This paper reviews the progress of TNF-α in preventing and treating irAEs.