Targeting the Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell Compartment for Inducing Responsiveness to Immune Checkpoint Blockade Is Best Limited to Specific Subtypes of Gastric Cancers

With interest we read the study by Kim et al,1 which appeared in the February issue of Gastroenterology. In this study, the authors exploit elegant mouse models to dissect the relative contribution of the myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), the immune cell compartment and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) receptor and its ligand PD-L1 to gastric carcinogenesis. Blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 is an effective strategy for counteracting cancer in a variety of clinical settings, but seems to be largely ineffective against gastric cancer.