Could PD-1/PDL1 immune checkpoints be linked to HLA signature?

The outstanding clinical expansion of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1) (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) and PD-1 ligand-1 (PDL-1) (atezolizumab, avelumab and durvalumab) has received an increasing level of interest regarding immunotherapy and multidrug combinations, for the treatment of a number of common human malignancies. Some patients treated with these agents receive remarkable benefits in term of quality of life, progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS). However, a significant percentage of these patients experience immune-related adverse events (irAEs), while others present with an ultra-rapid disease progression, defined as hyperprogression. Research in to the mechanisms related to these events is an active field of investigation worldwide, whose results are expected to provide new insights to design new combinations, to identify potentially responsive patients and to prevent irAEs’ occurrence