Somatic 9p24.1 alterations in HPV- head and neck squamous cancer dictate immune microenvironment and anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor activity

Somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs), generally (1) losses containing interferons and interferon-pathway genes, many on chromosome 9p, predict immune-cold, immune checkpoint therapy (ICT)-resistant tumors (2); however, genomic regions mediating these effects are unclear and probably tissue specific. Previously, 9p21.3 loss was found to be an early genetic driver of human papillomavirus-negative (HPV-) head and neck squamous cancer (HNSC), associated with an immune-cold tumor microenvironment (TME) signal, and recent evidence suggested that this TME-cold phenotype was greatly enhanced with 9p21 deletion size, notably encompassing band 9p24.1 (3). Here, we report multi-omic, -threshold and continuous-variable dissection of 9p21 and 9p24 loci (including depth and degree of somatic alteration of each band at each locus, and each gene at each band) and TME of four HPV- HNSC cohorts. Preferential 9p24 deletion, CD8 T-cell immune-cold associations were observed, driven by 9p24.1 loss, and in turn by an essential telomeric regulatory gene element, JAK2-CD274. Surprisingly, same genetic region gains were immune hot. Related 9p21-TME analyses were less evident. Inherent 9p-band-level influences on anti-PD1 ICT survival rates, coincident with TME patterns, were also observed. At a 9p24.1 whole-transcriptome expression threshold of 60th percentile, ICT survival rate exceeded that of lower expression percentiles and of chemotherapy; below this transcript threshold, ICT survival was inferior to chemotherapy, the latter unaffected by 9p24.1 expression level (P-values < 0.01, including in a PD-L1 immunohistochemistry-positive patient subgroup). Whole-exome analyses of 10 solid-tumor types suggest that these 9p-related ICT findings could be relevant to squamous cancers, in which 9p24.1 gain/immune-hot associations exist.

Automated summary

This study investigates the role of somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) on immune-cold tumors and their resistance to immune checkpoint therapy (ICT). The researchers focus on the genomic regions of 9p21 and 9p24 and their correlations with the tumor microenvironment (TME) and survival rates in HPV-negative head and neck squamous cancer (HNSC). They find that the loss of 9p24.1 and the loss of JAK2-CD274 gene are associated with CD8 T-cell immune-cold phenotype, while the gain of the same genetic region is immune hot. The study also reveals the impact of the 9p21 gene region on the survival rates of anti-PD1 ICT.