Potential of Dietary HDAC2i in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is a lethal malignancy with high morbidity and mortality but lacks effective treatments thus far. Despite the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) (including PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors), durable and optimal clinical benefits still remain elusive for a considerable number of BC patients. To break through such a dilemma, novel ICI-based combination therapy has been explored for enhancing the therapeutic effect. Recent evidence has just pointed out that the HDAC2 inhibitor (HDAC2i), which has been proven to exhibit an anti-cancer effect, can act as a sensitizer for ICIs therapy. Simultaneously, dietary intervention, as a crucial supportive therapy, has been reported to provide ingredients containing HDAC2 inhibitory activity. Thus, the novel integration of dietary intervention with ICIs therapy may offer promising possibilities for improving treatment outcomes. In this study, we first conducted the differential expression and prognostic analyses of HDAC2 and BC patients using the GENT2 and Kaplan–Meier plotter platform. Then, we summarized the potential diet candidates for such an integrated therapeutic strategy. This article not only provides a whole new therapeutic strategy for an HDAC2i-containing diet combined with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for BC treatment, but also aims to ignite enthusiasm for exploring this field.