Lung cancer trial of CCL21 dendritic cell vaccine plus pembrolizumab sees no objective responses
A phase I trial of a CCL21 gene-modified dendritic cell vaccine given with pembrolizumab in advanced non-small cell lung cancer produced no objective responses, the authors report in Nature Communications. Eleven patients were enrolled in dose escalation and 12 were treated in dose expansion. The combination was well tolerated. Stable disease was the best response in 36.8% of patients. Biopsies taken over time showed more CD4+ T cells and novel T cell clones in tumors, but many of those clones failed to persist.
The therapy increased T cell infiltration, yet that did not become meaningful clinical efficacy. The authors suggest limited tumor specificity in the T cell response as a possible reason. Immunosuppressive myeloid signaling signatures also appeared at every time point they examined.
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