Cancers, Vol. 16, Pages 471: Epidermolysis-Bullosa-Associated Squamous Cell Carcinomas Support an Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment: Prospects for Immunotherapy

Cancers, Vol. 16, Pages 471: Epidermolysis-Bullosa-Associated Squamous Cell Carcinomas Support an Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment: Prospects for Immunotherapy Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers16020471 Authors: David Rafei-Shamsabadi Lena Scholten Sisi Lu Daniele Castiglia Giovanna Zambruno Andreas Volz Andreas Arnold Mina Saleva Ludovic Martin Kristin Technau-Hafsi Frank Meiss Dagmar von Bubnoff Cristina Has Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are a major complication of some subtypes of epidermolysis bullosa (EB), with high morbidity and mortality rates and unmet therapeutic needs. The high rate of endogenous mutations and the fibrotic stroma are considered to contribute to the pathogenesis. Patients with dystrophic EB (DEB) and Kindler EB (KEB) have the highest propensity for developing SCCs. Another patient group that develops high-risk SCCs is immunosuppressed (IS) patients, especially after organ transplantation. Herein, we interrogate whether immune checkpoint proteins and immunosuppressive enzymes are dysregulated in EB-associated SCCs as an immune resistance mechanism and compare the expression patterns with those in SCCs from IS patients, who frequently develop high-risk tumors and sporadic SCCs, and immunocompetent (IC) individuals. The expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1), programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain-containing protein-3 (T...
Source: Cancers - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research