Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41371907›Full record

ArticleJournal for immunotherapy of cancer2025

Monitoring systemic immune responses to checkpoint inhibition in breast cancer reveals host responses and mechanisms of resistance.

Ann Hanna, Xiaopeng Sun, Quanhu Sheng, Paula I Gonzalez-Ericsson, Elizabeth C Wescott, Brandie C Taylor, Jacey L Marshall, Susan R Opalenik, Abigail L Toren, Violeta Sanchez and 3 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 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

13 authors.

Ann HannaMedicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2734-6426
Xiaopeng SunMedicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-5219-8964
Quanhu ShengVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Paula I Gonzalez-EricssonVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Elizabeth C WescottPathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3340-213X
Brandie C TaylorMedicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4862-4678
Jacey L MarshallVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Susan R OpalenikVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Abigail L TorenVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Violeta SanchezMedicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Carly M FielderVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Melinda E SandersVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Justin M BalkoMedicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA justin.balko@vumc.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4263-5974

Funding

Tumor Immunology and Microenvironment Research ProgramP30CA068485 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI STACIE B DUSETZINA · 1995 to 2026
$172.8M
TISSUE CoreP50CA098131 · NCI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI PARK, BEN HO, PIETENPOL, JENNIFER A · 2003 to 2024
$48.7M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA068485NCI NIH HHS P50 CA098131
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have improved survival in various cancers, but their success in breast cancer, specifically triple-negative breast cancer, remains limited, benefiting less than 10% of patients.

methodsWe modeled ICI response in vivo to unravel the mechanisms underlying immunotherapy efficacy, identify mechanisms of resistance in non-responsive tumors, and ascertain the therapeutic benefits of different chemotherapeutic combinations with ICI in breast cancer. We investigated the impact of ICI as monotherapy and in combination with other therapeutics in mouse models of mammary cancer, which we found robustly suppressed primary tumor growth and extended survival.

resultsInterestingly, even within a single model, responses to ICI were highly variable. Resistance was not reliably retained by transplantation into syngeneic hosts, suggesting a role for systemic host immunity rather than tumor-autonomous mechanisms. Transcriptomic analysis of the primary tumor landscape by fine-needle aspiration revealed that upregulated cytotoxic T-cell response and inflammatory interferon signaling (both at baseline and post anti-programmed death-ligand 1 administration) corresponded to favorable response to ICI. Longitudinal analysis of the peripheral blood uncovered enhanced myeloid cell recruitment in resistant mice, prior to therapy initiation. Similar effects were observed through longitudinal assessment of peripheral blood in patients with ICI-treated human breast cancer. Blocking myeloid cell recruitment with navaraxin (CXCR1/2 inhibitor) improved ICI responses, further suppressing tumor growth and improving survival.

conclusionsThese findings provide insight into resistance mechanisms and suggest the potential for minimally invasive strategies (sampling of systemic immune cells from peripheral blood) to identify patients likely to respond to ICI. This approach may help inform de-escalation strategies to mitigate therapeutic toxicities and limit unnecessary treatments.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsDrug Resistance, NeoplasmImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsAnimalsFemaleHumansMiceImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsBreast CancerImmune Checkpoint InhibitorTumor microenvironment - TME

Identifiers

PMID41371907
PMCPMC12699608

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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.