Journal
IMMUNOTHERAPY
Volume 8, Issue 8, Pages 907-921Publisher
FUTURE MEDICINE LTD
DOI: 10.2217/imt-2016-0009
Keywords
exhaustion; immune evasion; immune therapy; Merkel cell carcinoma; Merkel cell polyomavirus; PD-1; PD-L1
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [K24 CA139052, R01-CA162522, NIH T32 ES007032]
- Bristol-Myers Squibb
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Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare but often deadly skin cancer that is typically caused by the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). Polyomavirus T-antigen oncoproteins are persistently expressed in virus-positive MCCs (similar to 80% of cases), while remarkably high numbers of tumor-associated neoantigens are detected in virus-negative MCCs, suggesting that both MCC subsets may be immunogenic. Here we review mechanisms by which these immunogenic tumors evade multiple levels of host immunity. Additionally, we summarize the exciting potential of diverse immune-based approaches to treat MCC. In particular, agents blocking the PD-1 axis have yielded strikingly high response rates in MCC as compared with other solid tumors, highlighting the potential for immune-mediated treatment of this disease.
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