Engineered immune cells join forces with drugs to fight tough cancers

This phase II trial tested a combination of three treatments: specially engineered natural killer cells (PD-L1 CAR-NK cells), an immunotherapy drug (pembrolizumab), and an immune booster (N-803) in 18 adults with advanced gastric or head and neck cancer that had not responded to standard care. The goal was to see if this mix could shrink tumors or slow cancer growth. Participants received the cells weekly for six weeks, then every two weeks, along with pembrolizumab every six weeks and N-803 every four weeks, for up to two years.