title: Immune response against tumor antigens expressed on human cancer stem-like cells/tumor-initiating cells.
abstract: Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs)/tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are a small population of cancer cells that have the properties of tumor-initiating ability, self-renewal and differentiation. These properties suggest that CSCs/TICs are essential for tumor maintenance, recurrence and distant metastasis. Thus, elimination of CSCs/TICs is essential to cure malignant diseases. However, there are several studies reporting that CSCs/TICs are more resistant to standard cancer therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, than non-CSC/TIC populations. How then, can we eliminate CSCs/TICs? Immunotherapy might be the possible answer. In recent analysis, innate immunity (natural killer cells and gammadeltaT cells) and also adaptive immunity (cytotoxic T lymphocyte-based cellular immunity and antibody-based humoral immunity) can recognize CSCs/TICs in vitro efficiently. Furthermore, CSC/TIC-specific monoclonal antibody therapies are also efficient in vivo. In this article, we describe the potency, possibilities and problems of CSC/TIC-targeting immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirohashi
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Torigoe
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoda
authors.forename: Akari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Rena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishizawa
authors.forename: Yasuaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Hiromu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toyota
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis; D000080924:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000032:analysis; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D050697:Retinal Dehydrogenase; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007527:Isoenzymes; D000080924:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase; C510223:ALDH1A1 protein, human; D050697:Retinal Dehydrogenase