What limits the response of breast cancer to immunotherapy?

Abstract

Abstract Checkpoint blockade has been evaluated successfully in the classically immunogenic solid tumor types such as melanoma and renal cell carcinoma, as well as in hematologic malignancies. While a large degree of T-cell infiltrate has been observed in primary breast cancers, particularly triple-negative and Her2-positive subtypes, efficacy with checkpoint blockade as monotherapy has been modest so far in studies in advanced disease. Given that higher levels of T-cell infiltrate have been associated with improved prognoses and response to cytotoxic chemotherapy, my lab has hypothesized that these T cells would have functional characteristics that would be imp..