Characterization of Immunosuppressive Myeloid Cells in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Correlation with Resistance to PD-1 Pathway Blockade.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly immunogenic skin cancer. Although essentially all MCCs are antigenic through viral antigens or high tumor mutation burden, MCC has a response rate of only approximately 50% to PD-(L)1 blockade suggesting barriers to T-cell responses. Prior studies of MCC immunobiology have focused on CD8 T-cell infiltration and their exhaustion status, while the role of innate immunity, particularly myeloid cells, in MCC remains underexplored.

Experimental design

We utilized single-cell transcriptomics from 9 patients with MCC and multiplex IHC staining of 54 patients' preimmunotherapy tumors, to identify myeloid cells and evaluate association with immunotherapy response.

Results

Single-cell transcriptomics identified tumor-associated ma

SUBMITTER: Tabachnick-Cherny S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10947966 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature