Mutational landscape influences immunotherapy outcomes among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer with human leukocyte antigen supertype B44

Menée à partir d'échantillons sanguins et d'échantillons tissulaires prélevés sur 67 patients atteints d'un cancer du poumon non à petites cellules de stade avancé exprimant l'antigène HLA B44, cette étude met en évidence une association entre la présence de mutations somatiques modifiant l'antigène HLA B44 et l'efficacité des inhibiteurs de point de contrôle immunitaire

Résumé en anglais

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B has been recognized as a major determinant of discrepancies in disease outcomes, and recent evidence indicates a role in immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) efficacy. The B44 supertype, which features an electropositive binding pocket that preferentially displays peptides with negatively charged amino acid anchors, is associated with improved survival in ICB-treated melanoma. Yet this effect was not seen in ICB-treated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here we show that mutations leading to glutamic acid substitutions occur more often in melanoma than NSCLC based on mutational landscape. We additionally show stratifying B44 based on the presence of somatic mutations that lead to negatively charged glutamic acid anchors identifies patients with NSCLC with an ICB benefit similar to that seen in melanoma. We anticipate these findings could improve assessment of HLA-related outcomes and prediction of ICB benefit in those with B44, representing approximately half of the world’s population.