[Opportunities and defiance of therapeutic anti-tumoral vaccination].
Therapeutic anti-cancer vaccines containing tumor-specific antigens recognized by T lymphocytes are thought to stimulate high numbers of anti-vaccine cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) which then can lyse the tumor cells. To understand why these vaccines are followed by tumor regressions in only 10% of the patients, we analysed the tumor-specific immune responses of these patients. Contrary to our expectations, the anti-vaccine CTL responses were of very low level. However, regressing tumors were massively infiltrated by anti-tumor T cells of other specificities, including new anti-tumor CTL clonotypes that emerged following vaccination. We now believe that the role of the anti-vaccine CTL is to activate or restimulate large numbers of other anti-tumor CTL. Their ability to initiate this response is probably more important than their number. These results have important consequences for the improvement of the clinical efficacy of anti-cancer vaccines.
Institut de Duve, Unité de Génétique Cellulaire, Université catholique de Louvain.
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D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000235:genetics; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; C072013:MAGEA3 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta