Aspirin and immunotherapy: a Faustian bargain?

Fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1) has been associated with improved survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, recent evidence suggests that FGL1 may bind to surface receptors on lymphocytes and induce immune senescence. In this issue of the JCI, Lin and co-authors show that FGL1 may be acetylated by aspirin and targeted for degradation, which is associated with increased antitumor immunity and improved survival. Similar findings were obtained with inhibitors of sirtuin 2 (SIRT2), a histone deacetylase. These findings expand our current understanding of the role of FGL1 in cancer and provide an impetus for the evaluation of alternative immunotherapy combinations in HCC.