Downregulation of B7-H4 contributes to the synergistic effect of USP2a-targeted/anti-PD-1 combination therapy in EGFR mutant lung cancer

Anti-PD-1 treatment has shown clinical benefit in malignant cancers. However, EGFR-mutant (EGFR-MT) lung adenocarcinoma, an immune-cold tumor, shows poor response to this immunotherapy. This scenario is associated with elevated levels of B7-H4, an immune checkpoint demonstrating CD8⁺ T cell inhibition activity. Our previous study has revealed that deubiquitinase USP2a could stabilize B7-H4 protein. Therefore, we further explore whether USP2a inhibition could remodel immune-cold microe