Peripheral CX3CR1 T cells combined with PD-1 blockade therapy potentiates the anti-tumor efficacy for lung cancer.

Identifying tumor-relevant T cell subsets in the peripheral blood (PB) has become a potential strategy for cancer treatment. However, the subset of PB that could be used to treat cancer remains poorly defined. Here, we found that the CX3CR1 T cell subset in the blood of patients with lung cancer exhibited effector properties and had a higher TCR matching ratio with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) compared to CX3CR1 T cells, as determined by paired single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing.