Durable Response in a Patient with Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis Treated with Immune Checkpoint Blockade

Overview

Journal Head Neck

Specialties General Surgery
Oncology

Date 2022 Jul 11

PMID 35815785

Authors

Ke Bai

Scott M Norberg

Cem Sievers

Tanya Meyer

Jay Friedman

Christian Hinrichs

Clint T Allen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Immune checkpoint blockade can provide clinical benefit for patients with advanced cancer. Here, we report durable disease control over many years following PD-L1 blockade through induction of a viral antigen-specific T cell response in an adult patient with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

Methods: Antigen-specific T cell response assays, single cell RNA-sequencing, and RNA-scope was used to study clinical tissues.

Results: An HPV6 E2-specific T cell clone restricted to HLA-B*55, present at low frequency in the pre-treatment papilloma, significantly expanded after six doses of PD-L1 blockade and remained present and functional at the site of initial response in the larynx as a tissue resident memory T cell for 4 years. An associated reduction in E2 target gene was observed following treatment.

Conclusions: Although demonstrated in a single exceptional responder, these results highlight that immune checkpoint blockade may induce durable, viral antigen-specific immunity of sufficient magnitude to control disease in patients with nonmalignant disorders.

Citing Articles

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Bai K, Clavijo P, Robbins Y, Norberg S, Allen C Laryngoscope. 2024; 134(7):3238-3244.

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