T cell populations correlate with response and resistance to anti-PD-1 plus lenvatinib combination therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma

The combination of immune checkpoint blockade and tyrosine kinase inhibitors has shown promising clinical benefits, but the underlying mechanisms driving response and resistance are poorly understood. Here, we performed single-cell RNA- and TCR-sequencing, together with a HBV-peptide-barcoded single-cell RNA-sequencing approach, on paired tumor and blood samples to track the dynamic changes of T cells in HBV+ hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients before or after anti-PD-1 plus lenvatinib combination therapy.