Lingual Denervation Improves the Efficacy of Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas by Down-regulating TGFβ Signaling.

Neural involvement enhanced tumor aggressiveness through upregulating TGFβ signaling and PD-L1 expression in OSCC, while denervation of OSCC inhibited tumor growth, down-regulated TGFβ signaling, enhanced activities of CD8+ T cells and improved the efficacy of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. This study will encourage further research focusing on denervation as a potential adjuvant therapeutic approach in OSCC.