Few patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors with complete and durable remissions being quite rare. Oncogenes can regulate tumor immune infiltration, however whether oncogenes dictate diminished response to immunotherapy and whether these effects are reversible remains poorly understood. Here, we report that TNBCs with elevated MYC expression are resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Using mouse models and patient data, we show that MYC signaling is associated with low tumor cell PD-L1, low overall immune cell infiltration, and low tumor cell MHC-I expression. Restoring interferon signaling in the tumor increases MHC-I expression. By combining a TLR9 agonist and an agonistic antibody against OX40 with anti-PD-L1, mice experience tumor regression and are protected from new TNBC tumor outgrowth. Our findings demonstrate that MYC-dependent immune evasion is reversible and druggable, and when strategically targeted, may improve outcomes for patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Cancer-related pain is highly prevalent and often severe, and as a result is often one of the defining experiences for patients with malignancy. Patients and patients' families almost always live with the ever-present reality that cancer treatment and progression may be accompanied by pain. For patients nearing the end of life, most fear that their final days will be spent living with the terrible effects of the disease, the most important of which is pain. Despite this, there is far less systematic research on the mechanisms of cancer-related pain or on the development of new agents to reduce or eliminate pain in cancer patients compared with research to combat the disease itself. Further, even when the focus of research is treatment of the tumor, the effects of anticancer treatments on pain are often underreported in publications and other forums. To illustrate the relative drought in the cancer pain control area, there have been no new drugs approved for cancer-related pain in recent years. A number of methodologic and logistical challenges that hinder the ability to assess pain response in clinical trials are discussed in this article. Possible ways to address these challenges are also discussed.

Radioenhancing nanoparticles (NPs) are being evaluated in ongoing clinical trials for various cancers including head and neck, lung, esophagus, pancreas, prostate, and soft tissue sarcoma. Supported by decades of preclinical investigation and recent randomized trial data establishing clinical activity, these agents are poised to influence future multimodality treatment paradigms involving radiotherapy. Although the physical interactions between NPs and ionizing radiation are well characterized, less is known about how these agents modify the tumor microenvironment, particularly regarding tumor immunogenicity. In this review, we describe the key multidisciplinary considerations related to radiation, surgery, immunology, and pathology for designing radioenhancing NP clinical trials.