Chemotherapy modulates PD-L1 expression and its combination with immune checkpoint blockade requires precision. (2025)

In recent years, cancer immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), has revolutionized the standard of care for some patients with advanced disease. However, ICB alone is often ineffective in the majority of cancer patients. Chemotherapy, a standard treatment aims at directly targeting rapidly growing tumor cells, also induces the release of antigens that may enhance anti-tumor immunity. Consequently, numerous clinical trials are investigating the synergistic effects of combining ICB with chemotherapy, and they are showing great promise. Additionally, chemotherapy can impact the expression of immune checkpoint molecules like PD-L1(programmed death-ligand 1), potentially influencing the efficacy of ICB. Moreover, chemotherapy has the potential to eliminate immune cells, un