Immunoproteasome deficiency in non-small cell lung cancer and its relevance to immunotherapy

A key characteristic of tumors associated with poor prognosis is their ability to escape the rigorous scrutiny of the immune system (1). Understanding how they do so not only advances our knowledge of fundamental mechanisms underlying cancer, but also improves our ability to detect and assess tumors as well as develop and deploy the most effective treatments to remove them. Down-regulation of the class I major histocompatibility (MHC) complex on their surface is a well-known mechanism by which tumor cells attempt to evade detection of their mutational load via the corresponding presented neo-antigens.