Tumor cells may employ this immune-evading tactic: they may express PD-L1 and thereby block CD8+ T cell-mediated immune responses to themselves.

[12] Various manufactured therapeutic monoclonal antibody drugs, e.g. pembrolizumab,[12] atezolizumab, durvalumab[13] nivolumab,[14] and avelumab,[9] bind to and inhibit the stimulation of PD-1 on CD8+ T cells by PD-L1.

In effect, they block the ability of CMTMT6 to suppress PDL1/PD-1-stimulated CD8+ T-cell immune responses against tumor cells.

[17] However, the use of any of these monoclonal antibody drugs as a single immunotherapy agent often benefits only a small percentage of cases with a particular disease, often lasts for only a short time, and may cause severe side-effects.

[18] This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.