ArticleJournal for immunotherapy of cancer2018
Merkel cell polyomavirus-specific immune responses in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma receiving anti-PD-1 therapy.
Article in Journal for immunotherapy of cancer, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Tumor Mutational Burden, Toxicity, and Response of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Targeting PD(L)1, CTLA-4, and Combination: A Meta-regression Analysis.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2020Pooled it
- Neoadjuvant Nivolumab for Patients With Resectable Merkel Cell Carcinoma in the CheckMate 358 Trial.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2020Trial
- Perspectives on 10 years of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Podcast.Targeted oncology · 2026Article
- Response of B Cells Specific for Polyomavirus-Derived Oncoprotein Is Predictive of Merkel Cell Carcinoma Tumor Control.Cancer immunology research · 2026Article
- Review
- Spontaneous tumor regression and immunotherapy response demonstrate clonal T-cell expansion in Merkel cell carcinoma.NPJ precision oncology · 2025Article
- Spatially organized inflammatory myeloid-CD8bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Characterization of Immunosuppressive Myeloid Cells in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Correlation with Resistance to PD-1 Pathway Blockade.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2024Article
- Merkel cell polyomavirus-specific and CD39Cell reports. Medicine · 2024Article
- Neoadjuvant Approaches to Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer.Cancers · 2023Review
- T-Cell Mediated Immunity in Merkel Cell Carcinoma.Cancers · 2022Review
- Identifying Candidates for Immunotherapy among Patients with Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: A Review of the Potential Predictors of Response.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- New interpretable machine-learning method for single-cell data reveals correlates of clinical response to cancer immunotherapy.Patterns (New York, N.Y.) · 2021Article
- T-Cell Responses in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Implications for Improved Immune Checkpoint Blockade and Other Therapeutic Options.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Quality Is King: Fundamental Insights into Tumor Antigenicity from Virus-Associated Merkel Cell Carcinoma.The Journal of investigative dermatology · 2021Review
- Merkel Cell Carcinoma from Molecular Pathology to Novel Therapies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- B cell signatures and tertiary lymphoid structures contribute to outcome in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.Nature communications · 2021Article
- From Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Infection to Merkel Cell Carcinoma Oncogenesis.Frontiers in microbiology · 2021Review
- PD-1 and TIGIT coexpression identifies a circulating CD8 T cell subset predictive of response to anti-PD-1 therapy.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2020Article
- Avelumab for advanced Merkel cell carcinoma in the Netherlands: a real-world cohort.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer that frequently responds to anti-PD-1 therapy. MCC is associated with sun exposure and, in 80% of cases, Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). MCPyV-specific T and B cell responses provide a unique opportunity to study cancer-specific immunity throughout PD-1 blockade therapy.
methodsImmune responses were assessed in patients (n = 26) with advanced MCC receiving pembrolizumab. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected at baseline and throughout treatment. MCPyV-oncoprotein antibodies were quantified and T cells were assessed for MCPyV-specificity via tetramer staining and/or cytokine secretion. Pre-treatment tumor biopsies were analyzed for T cell receptor clonality.
resultsMCPyV oncoprotein antibodies were detectable in 15 of 17 (88%) of virus-positive MCC (VP-MCC) patients. Antibodies decreased in 10 of 11 (91%) patients with responding tumors. Virus-specific T cells decreased over time in patients who had a complete response, and increased in patients who had persistent disease. Tumors that were MCPyV(+) had a strikingly more clonal (less diverse) intratumoral TCR repertoire than virus-negative tumors (p = 0.0001).
conclusionsCancer-specific T and B cell responses generally track with disease burden during PD-1 blockade, in proportion to presence of antigen. Intratumoral TCR clonality was significantly greater in VP-MCC than VN-MCC tumors, suggesting expansion of a limited number of dominant clones in response to fewer immunogenic MCPyV antigens. In contrast, VN-MCC tumors had lower clonality, suggesting a diverse T cell response to numerous neoantigens. These findings reveal differences in tumor-specific immunity for VP-MCC and VN-MCC, both of which often respond to anti-PD-1 therapy.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.