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Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Head and Neck Cancer Response to Programmed Cell Death Protein-1 Targeting and Differential Expression of Immunological Markers: A Case Report

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submitted on 2024-03-03, 05:44 and posted on 2024-03-03, 05:45 authored by Maysaloun Merhi, Afsheen Raza, Varghese Philipose Inchakalody, Abdulqadir Jeprel Japer Nashwan, Niloofar Allahverdi, Roopesh Krishnankutty, Shahab Uddin, Abdul Rehman Zar Gul, Mohammed Ussama Al Homsi, Said Dermime

Targeting the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/PD-1 ligand (PD-L1) pathway has been shown to enhance T cell-mediated antitumor immunity. Clinical responses are limited to subgroups of patients. The search for biomarkers of response is a strategy to predict response and outcome of PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint intervention. The NY-ESO-1 cancer testis antigen has been considered as a biomarker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients and can induce both specific NY-ESO-1 antibody and T cells responses. Here, we correlated clinical responsiveness to anti-PD-1 (nivolumab) treatment with immunity to NY-ESO-1 in a patient with recurrent HNSCC. The patient was treated with second-line treatment of nivolumab and had a stable disease for over 7 months. His NY-ESO-1 antibody was found to be lower after the third (****p < 0.0001) and the fifth (****p < 0.0001) cycles of treatment compared to base line, and this was in line with the stability of the disease. The NY-ESO-1-specific T cells response of the patient was found to be increased after the third and the fifth (**p = 0.002) cycles of treatment but had a significant decline after progression (**p = 0.0028). The PD-1 expression by the patient’s T cells was reduced 15-folds after nivolumab treatment and was uniquely restricted to the CD8+ T cells population. Several cytokines/chemokines involved in immune activation were upregulated after nivolumab treatment; two biomarkers were reduced at progression [interleukin (IL)-10: ****p < 0.0001 and CX3CL1: ****p < 0.0001]. On the other hand, some cytokines/chemokines contributing to immune inhibition were downregulated after nivolumab treatment; two biomarkers were increased at progression (IL-6: ****p < 0.0001 and IL-8: ****p < 0.0001). This data support the notion that the presence of anti-NY-ESO-1 integrated immunity and some cytokines/chemokines profile may potentially identify a response to PD-1 blockade in HNSCC patients.

Other Information

Published in: Frontiers in Immunology
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.01769

Funding

Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.

History

Language

  • English

Publisher

Frontiers

Publication Year

  • 2018

License statement

This Item is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Institution affiliated with

  • Hamad Medical Corporation
  • National Center for Cancer Care and Research - HMC
  • Interim Translational Research Institute - HMC

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