Cytolytic T-cell response against Epstein-Barr virus in lung cancer patients and healthy subjects.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to examine whether EBV seropositive patients with lung cancer have an altered virus-specific CTL response, as compared to age-matched healthy controls and whether any variation in this response could be attributed to senescence.


METHODS
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from lung cancer patients, age-matched and younger healthy individuals were used to measure EBV-specific CTLs after in vitro amplification with the GLCTLVAML and RYSIFFDYM peptides followed by HLA-multimer staining.


RESULTS
Lung cancer patients and aged-matched controls had significantly lesser EBV-specific CTL than younger healthy individuals. Multimer positive populations from either group did not differ with respect to the percentage of multimer positive CTLs and the intensity of multimer binding.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides evidence that patients with lung cancer exhibit an EBV-specific CTL response equivalent to that of age-matched healthy counterparts. These data warrant the examination of whether young individuals have a more robust anti-tumor response, as is the case with the anti-EBV response.
Cancer Immunology Unit, Department of Immunology & Histocompatibility, School of Medicine, University of Thessaly, University Hospital of Larissa, GR-411 10 Larissa, Greece. vkaran@med.uth.gr
Vaios
V
Karanikas
Maria
M
Zamanakou
Faye
F
Soukou
Theodora
T
Kerenidi
Ioannis
I
Tsougos
Kiki
K
Theodorou
Panagiotis
P
Georgoulias
Konstantinos I
KI
Gourgoulianis
Anastasios E
AE
Germenis
D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*