Radiation and anti-PD-L1 synergize by stimulating a stem-like T cell population in the tumor-draining lymph node
Radiotherapy (RT) and anti-PD-L1 synergize to enhance local and distant (abscopal) tumor control. However, clinical results in humans have been variable. With the goal of improving clinical outcomes, we investigated the underlying synergistic mechanism focusing on a TCF-1+ PD-1+ CD8+ stem-like T cell subset in the tumor-draining lymph node (TdLN). We found that RT + anti-PD-L1 induces a novel differentiation program in the TdLN stem-like population which leads to their expansion and differentiation into effector cells within the tumor. We also found that optimal synergy between RT + anti-PD-L1 is dependent on the TdLN stem-like T cell population as either blockade of TdLN egress or specific stem-like T cell depletion reduced tumor control. Together, these data demonstrate a multistep stimulation of stem-like T cells following combination therapy which is initiated in the TdLN and completed in the tumor.