Tumor-specific MHC class II upregulation associated with response to anti-PD-L1 therapy in patients with urothelial cancer

May 28, 2024

İlayda Hasakioğulları, Mark Kockx, Bernadett Szabados, Matthew Young and Thomas Powles

CellCarta’s poster, presented at ASCO 2024, discusses the study on tumor-specific MHC class II upregulation in patients with urothelial cancer undergoing anti-PD-L1 therapy.

The study, part of the abacus trial (NCT02662309), revealed that MHC class II expression in tumor cells, although rare, is associated with a positive response to atezolizumab. Utilizing spatial transcriptomics and immunohistochemistry (IHC), the research highlighted significant differences in MHC II expression between patients with pathological complete response (pCR) and those with major pathological response (MPR) or relapse.

The findings suggest that MHC II expression could serve as a biomarker for predicting therapeutic outcomes in bladder cancer treatment.

View the full poster:

Tumor-specific MHC class II upregulation associated with response to anti-PD-L1 therapy in patients with urothelial cancer