title: Melanoma-reactive T cells in the bone marrow of melanoma patients: association with disease stage and disease duration.
abstract: Using IFN-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot, we investigated reactivity of T cells from bone marrow and peripheral blood to melanoma lysate-pulsed autologous dendritic cells in 40 melanoma patients. Melanoma-reactive T cells were present in the bone marrow of seven patients and in peripheral blood of four patients. In the bone marrow, melanoma-reactive T cells were present in 6 of 21 stage IV patients and in 1 of 10 stage III patients, whereas none were detected in stage I to II patients (0 of 9). The occurrence of tumor-reactive bone marrow T cells in melanoma patients was associated with advanced disease stage, disease duration and tumor load, and independent of treatment. These findings provide new insights into the generation of T-cell responses in melanoma patients.
authors.affiliation: Skin Cancer Unit, German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg and University Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany and Division of Cellular Immunology, German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller-Berghaus
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ehlert
authors.forename: Selma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ugurel
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Umansky
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bucur
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schirrmacher
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beckhove
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schadendorf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma