Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40081943›Full record

ArticleJournal for immunotherapy of cancer2025

RANKL blockade inhibits cancer growth through reversing the tolerogenic profile of tumor-infiltrating (plasmacytoid) dendritic cells.

Charlotte Pilard, Patrick Roncarati, Marie Ancion, Margaux Luyckx, Michael Renard, Celia Reynders, Thomas Lerho, Florian Poulain, Diane Bruyere, Alizee Lebeau and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal for immunotherapy of cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Charlotte PilardLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Patrick RoncaratiLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Marie AncionLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Margaux LuyckxLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Michael RenardLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Celia ReyndersLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Thomas LerhoLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Florian PoulainLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Diane BruyereLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Alizee LebeauLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Elodie HendrickLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Rebekah CrakeLaboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Raphael PeifferMetastasis Research Laboratory, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Marie-Julie NokinLaboratory of Tumor and Development Biology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Olivier PeulenMetastasis Research Laboratory, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Philippe DelvenneLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Pascale HubertLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0799-3047
Michael HerfsLaboratory of Experimental Pathology, GIGA-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium M.Herfs@uliege.be.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4382-8997

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOriginally identified for its involvement in bone remodeling, accumulating data emerged in the past years indicating that receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL) actually acts as a multifunctional soluble molecule that influences various physiological and pathological processes. Regarding its role in carcinogenesis, while direct effects on tumor cell behavior have been precisely characterized, the impact of the RANKL/RANK system (and its inhibition) on the intratumoral immune landscape remains unclear.

methodsAfter various in silico/in situ/in vitro analyses, the immunotherapeutic efficacy of RANKL blockade (alone and in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors (anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)) or doxorubicin/paclitaxel-based chemotherapy) was investigated using different syngeneic mouse models of triple-negative breast cancer (4T1, 67NR and E0771). Isolated from retrieved tumors, 14 immune cell (sub)populations, along with the activation status of antigen-presenting cells, were thoroughly analyzed in each condition. Finally, the impact of RANKL on the functionality of both dendritic cells (DC) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) was determined.

resultsA drastic tumor growth inhibition was reproductively observed following RANKL inhibition. Strikingly, this antitumor activity was not detected in immunocompromised mice, demonstrating its dependence on the adaptive immune responses and justifying the diverse enriched signatures linked to immune cell regulation/differentiation detected in RANKL

conclusionsTaken together, this study provides insight into the role of RANKL/RANK axis in immune tolerance, demonstrates the significant impact of RANKL-dependent impairment of T cell-DC/pDC crosstalk on tumor development and, ultimately, supports that this ligand could be an interesting actionable target for cancer immunotherapy.

Indexed as

Dendritic CellsRANK LigandAnimalsFemaleHumansImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsImmune ToleranceImmunotherapyMiceTumor MicroenvironmentImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsRANK LigandBreast CancerImmunosuppressionImmunotherapy

Identifiers

PMID40081943
PMCPMC11907081

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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.