Shigeru Hirano

Background: The goal of this study was to evaluate the antitumor immune effects of B7-1 gene expression in addition to immune checkpoint inhibitor against squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: A murine SCC cell line, KLN205, was infected with adenoviral vector carrying B7-1 (AdB7). Infected cells were injected subcutaneously in the flanks of DBA/2 mice. Three weeks after implantation, anti-mouse PD-1 antibody (antiPD1) was intraperitonially administrated twice a week for a total of six times. Results: CD80 was significantly overexpressed in the AdB7-infected tumors. IFN-gamma in the T cells in the spleen was significantly increased and tumor size was significantly reduced in the mice treated with both AdB7 and antiPD1. Targeted tumors treated with both AdB7 and antiPD1 exhibited significantly increased cell densities of total immune cells as well as Ki-67+ CD8+ T cells and decreased regulatory T cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that the B7-1 gene transfer may enhance the antitumor effect of anti-PD1 antibody against SCC.

Background The relationship between the tumor‐immune microenvironment and systemic inflammatory markers, including neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), is unclear. Methods We examined the characteristics of systemic inflammatory markers and tumor immune microenvironments in relation to treatment outcomes in 29 consecutive patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) who received pembrolizumab, using 14‐marker multiplex immunohistochemistry and image cytometry. Results NLR ≥4.5 (high NLR) at pretreatment status significantly correlated with short overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival‐2 (PFS2) and malnutrition status. High NLR in peripheral blood was significantly correlated with low lymphoid cell and high tumor‐associated macrophage counts in tissues, especially myeloid‐to‐lymphoid cell ratios, suggesting an association between circulating and intratumoral immune complexity profiles. Conclusions This study suggests a link between NLR in circulating blood, systemic nutritional status, and immune composition within the tumor.