p95HER2, a truncated form of the HER2 oncoprotein, drives an immunosuppressive program in HER2+ breast cancer that limits trastuzumab deruxtecan efficacy

Abstract

Resistance to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapies and immuno-oncology agents poses a major challenge in treating HER2-positive breast cancer. Here we demonstrate that p95HER2, a truncated form of HER2, drives immune evasion in HER2-positive female breast cancer, enhancing tumor growth and conferring therapy resistance. This stems from the unique ability of p95HER2 to promote cancer cell-intrinsic programmed death ligand 1 expression and secretion of immunosuppressive mediators including interleukin 6. In preclinical models, this impairs the efficacy of trastuzumab deruxtecan, a HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that relies on immunogenic responses to cell death for full efficacy. Importantly, we find that neratinib potently directs proteasomal degradation of p95HER2, relieving its immunosuppressive effects, and provide proof of concept that neratinib and/or agents targeting p95HER2 downstream mediators can restore antitumor immunity and trastuzumab deruxtecan efficacy. This study reveals a p95HER2-specific therapy resistance mechanism in HER2-positive female breast cancer and highlights the potential value of targeting p95HER2 to improve outcomes with ADCs or immuno-oncology agents.