Characterization of the Immune Response to PD-1 Blockade during Chemoradiotherapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Juan Luis Callejas-ValeraDaniel W VermeerChristopher T LucidoCaitlin WilliamsonMarisela KillianPaola Drapkin VermeerWilliam C SpanosSteven Francis PowellPublished in: Cancers (2022)
Our murine HNSCC model demonstrates efficacy of PD-1 blockade during chemoradiotherapy. However, while PD-1-expressing T cells decreased with this therapy, human PBMC findings also identified an increase in populations contributing to immune exhaustion. These findings further characterize PD-1 blockade during chemoradiotherapy for HNSCC and highlight potential competing mechanisms of immune evasion.