title: Neoadjuvant immunotherapy enhances radiosensitivity through natural killer cell activation.
abstract: We investigated whether natural killer (NK) cells in the tumor microenvironment have a radiosensitization effect. The radiosensitization effect of combined CpG and Herceptin((R)) (Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA) (CpG/Herceptin), given before or after radiation, was evaluated by using a murine colon cancer cell line overexpressing human HER2/neu, CT26HER2/neu. In vitro radiosensitization effects were investigated by coculture of CT26HER2/neu with splenocytes, CpG, and Herceptin before applying radiation. Tumor cells, cocultured with CpG-pretreated splenocytes and Herceptin, were more vulnerable to radiation damage. In BALB/c mice injected with CT26HER2/neu, CpG/Herceptin administered before radiotherapy was associated with a better retardation of tumor growth than when administered after radiotherapy. The radiosensitization effect was significantly abrogated by NK-cell depletion, indicating that NK cells play an essential role in it. Further, surviving mice treated with CpG or CpG/Herceptin and reverse transcriptase were resistant to renewed tumor challenge, suggesting the presence of an induced immune response to the tumor. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy with CpG/Herceptin may improve response to radiotherapy of HER2/neu-expressing tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chau-Hwa
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Yu-Shan
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chieh-Han
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Kwan-Hwa
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D003521:Cyclopropanes / Q000494:pharmacology; D006151:Guanosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D011836:Radiation Tolerance / Q000276:immunology; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000068878:Trastuzumab
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D006151:Guanosine; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab; C508012:N2-cyclopropylamine-guanosine