Non-terminally exhausted tumor-resident memory HBV-specific T cell responses correlate with relapse-free survival in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) often develops following chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and responds poorly to immune checkpoint blockade. Here, we examined the antigen specificities of HCC-infiltrating T cells and their relevance to tumor control. Using highly multiplexed peptide-MHC tetramer staining of unexpanded cells from blood, liver, and tumor tissues from 46 HCC patients, we detected 91 different antigen-specific CD8 + T cell populations targeting HBV, neoantigen, tumor-associated, and disease-unrelated antigens. Parallel high dimensional analysis delineated five distinct antigen-specific tissue-resident memory T (Trm) cell populations.

Intratumoral and intrahepatic HBV-specific T cells were enriched for two Trm cell subsets that were PD-1 loTOXlo , despite being clonally expanded. High frequencies of intratumoral terminally exhausted T cells were uncommon. Patients…