About the Cover
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) develops in chronic inflammatory conditions. However, how this inflammation affects T-cell antitumor functions remains unclear. Querfeld et al. show that in skin explants and skin biopsies from 86 patients with CTCL, mature PD-L1⁺ dendritic cells are detected and T cells are activated, but the T cells also express immune checkpoint molecules known to be markers of exhaustion. RNAseq at different disease stages demonstrated that expression of checkpoint molecules increased with progression, indicating that that an exhausted T-cell phenotype is a hallmark in CTCL. Read more in this issue starting on page 900. Original image is an H&E stain of a patch/plaque lesion, from Fig. 4. Artwork by Lewis Long.