A Sampling of Highlights from the Literature: Article Recommendations from Our Deputy and Senior Editors
Cancer Immunol Res. 2026 Apr 2;14(4):527. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-14-4-WWR. NO ABSTRACT PMID:41923516 | DOI:10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-14-4-WWR
Cancer Immunology Reserch
B Cells and Tertiary Lymphoid Structures as Integral Components of the Cancer Immunity Cycle
Cancer Immunol Res. 2026 Mar 31:OF1-OF2. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-26-0311. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The influence B cells have in the tumor microenvironment has historically remained unresolved across solid tumors. At the same time, numerous findings of ectopic germinal centers in inflamed tumors containing tertiary lymphoid structures have been the impetus for redefining what effective antitumor … Read more
Induction Serplulimab and Chemotherapy Followed by Chemoradiotherapy for Bulky Unresectable Stage III NSCLC: A Phase II Study (SUCCEED-01)
Cancer Immunol Res. 2026 Mar 30. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-25-1194. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Patients with bulky, unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) face poor outcomes with standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) due to large radiation fields and toxicity risks. We evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of induction immunochemotherapy to downstage tumors prior to cCRT. … Read more
Reduced tumor control in males can result from impaired CD4+ T-cell help through the CD40L-CD40 pathway
Cancer Immunol Res. 2026 Mar 25. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-25-1115. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Sex-based differences in cancer incidence are incompletely understood, but potential roles for the immune system are beginning to emerge. CD4+ T cells play a central role in coordinating antitumor immunity. In addition to cytokine production, CD40L expression on CD4+ T cells provides … Read more
Co-expression of IL15 promotes effector differentiation and sustained proliferative capacity in ALPPL2-specific human CAR T cells
Cancer Immunol Res. 2026 Mar 20. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-25-0609. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have robust antitumor activity against hematologic malignancies and have the potential to benefit patients with solid tumors. Immune recognition of murine proteins expressed in adoptively transferred T cells and lack of homeostatic cytokines in the tumor … Read more
HTRA1+ macrophages induce T cells egress through CRIP1/NF-κB/CXCL12 to limit the effects of immunotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer
Cancer Immunol Res. 2026 Mar 19. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-25-1138. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The variation in immunotherapy responses among patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is attributed to the high heterogeneity of tumor immune components, in which macrophages play a key role. Hence, identification of key macrophage subpopulations associated with immunotherapy efficacy could provide important … Read more
FOXM1-specific TCR-engineered T cells target non-small cell lung cancer
Cancer Immunol Res. 2026 Mar 19. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-25-0605. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT FOXM1 is highly expressed in various cancer types and considered a key driver of cancer progression. Accordingly, we evaluated the immunogenicity of FOXM1 and investigated the feasibility of targeting this transcription factor using T cell receptor (TCR) engineering. We identified epitopes derived … Read more
Capturing and tracking clonal T cell response to cancer neoantigens
Cancer Immunol Res. 2026 Mar 17. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-24-1216. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT In humans and mice, the T cell receptor (TCR) of each effector/memory T cell clone recognizes from one to several cognate peptide-MHC complexes (pMHC). Limited knowledge on TCR repertoire specificities restricts our capacity to rationally interpret this information, both diagnostically and in … Read more
IL-1R2 Deficiency Unleashes Neutrophil-Mediated Antitumor Potential in Sarcoma
Cancer Immunol Res. 2026 Mar 13. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-25-0651. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Interleukin-1 (IL-1) plays dual functions in cancer. It promotes cancer-related inflammation and progression, but also influences leukocyte functional activation. IL-1 receptor 2 (IL-1R2) functions as an IL-1 decoy receptor, inhibiting IL-1 activity. Here, we investigated the contribution of IL-1R2 in tuning IL-1-dependent … Read more
Response of B cells specific for polyomavirus-derived oncoprotein is predictive of Merkel cell carcinoma tumor control
Cancer Immunol Res. 2026 Mar 4. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-25-0950. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Merkel cell carcinomas (MCC) typically arise from clonal integration of the Merkel cell polyomavirus. Immunogenic viral oncoproteins then lead to tumorigenesis. Oncoprotein-specific T cells are essential for anti-MCC immunity, but it is unclear whether B cells promote tumor control. Here, we analyzed … Read more