Bridging the Gap from Bench to Bedside: A Call for In Vivo Preclinical Models to Advance Endometrial Cancer and Cervical Cancer Immuno-Oncology Research.

Advanced-stage endometrial and cervical cancers are associated with poor outcomes despite contemporary advances in surgical techniques and therapeutics. Recent clinical trial results have led to a shift in the treatment paradigm for both malignancies, where immunotherapy is now incorporated in the upfront setting for most patients with advanced endometrial and cervical cancers as the standard of care. Impressive response rates have been observed, but unfortunately, a subset of patients do not benefit from immunotherapy, and survival remains poor. Continued pre-clinical research and clinical trial development are crucial for our understanding of resistance mechanisms to immunotherapy and maximization of therapeutic efficacy. In this setting, syngeneic models are preferred over xenograft models as they allow for evaluation of the tumor-immune interaction in an immunocompetent host, most closely mimicking the tumor-immune interaction in human cancer patients. Unfortunately, significant disparities exist regarding syngeneic models in gynecologic malignancy, where queries from multiple large bioscience companies confirm no commercial availability of endometrial or cervical cancer syngeneic cell lines. Few published data exist regarding the recent development of several endometrial and cervical cancer syngeneic cell lines, warranting further investigation. Closing the disparity gap for pre-clinical models in endometrial and cervical cancer will support physician-scientists, basic and translational researchers, and clinical trialists who are dedicated to improving outcomes for our patients with advanced disease and poor prognosis.