Human papilloma virus load and PD-1/PD-L1, CD8⁺ and FOXP3 in anal cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy: Rationale for immunotherapy

Abstract

= 0.031) expression correlated with superior DFS. Female sex and high HPV16 viral load correlated with favorable outcome for all three clinical endpoints. The present data provide, for the first time, robust explanation for the favorable clinical outcome of HPV16-positive ASCC patients harboring strong immune cell infiltration. Our findings are relevant for treatment stratification with immune PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors to complement CRT and should be explored in a clinical trial.