PD-Loma: a cancer entity with a shared sensitivity to the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway blockade

Abstract

Clinical trials have now identified over 30 cancer histotypes with sensitivity to anti-PD-(L)1 therapies. It is the first time in oncology that a class of drugs has demonstrated such a wide spectrum of activity in monotherapy. This subgroup of cancers ('PD-Lomas') is driving the clinical research strategies for the next generation of combination immunotherapy.

Fig. 1

PD-Lomas: cancers with known sensitivity for anti-PD-(L)1 monotherapies. a Tumour types where some clinical activity of anti-PD-(L)1 has been reported. *ORR for cancer histotypes with PD-L1 positivity, defined by expression in ≥1% of tumour cells by immunohistochemistry. b Objective response rates per cancer histotype upon anti-PD-(L)1 monotherapy. Mel melanoma; RCC renal cell carcinoma; NSCLC non-small-cell lung cancer; HNSCC head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; DLBCL diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; FL follicular lymphoma; MSI CRC microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancer; TNBC triple negative breast cancer; HCC hepatocellular cancer; SCLC small-cell lung cancer; MCC Merkel cell carcinoma; MMRd GBM mismatch repair-deficient glioblastoma; ER+BC oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer; PMBCL primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma; PCNSL primary central nervous system lymphoma; NKT lymphoma natural Killer/T cell lymphoma; SCC squamous cell carcinoma; HSOC high-grade serous ovarian cancer; ORR objective response rate.