Immune checkpoint blockade provokes resident memory T cells to eliminate head and neck cancer

Immune checkpoint blockade is effective in treating many human cancers. In this issue of Cell, Luoma et al. show that tissue-resident memory T cells in head and neck cancers rapidly respond to immune checkpoint blockade, and they identify specific CD8(+) T cells in pretreatment blood that predict pathologic tumor regression.

Automated summary

The study reveals the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade on tissue-resident memory T cells in head and neck cancers, as well as the prediction of pathologic tumor regression based on specific CD8(+) T cells in pretreatment blood.