title: Loss of antigen cross-presentation after complete tumor resection is associated with the generation of protective tumor-specific CD8(+) T-cell immunity.
abstract: An incomplete understanding on the effect of surgery on tumor-specific immunity continues to hamper efforts to combine surgery with immunotherapy in the clinic. Herein, we describe the impact of tumor resection on the tumor-specific T-cell response, showing that complete tumor resection is associated with (1) a decline in the amount of cross-presented tumor antigens, (2) a decline of cytolytic tumor-specific CD8(+) T cell activity, and (3) the development of systemic CD8(+) T cell-mediated protective immunity. Our findings are consistent with a model whereby tumor resection releases antitumor CD8(+) T cells from chronic antigen exposure, allowing a gradual differentiation toward functional antitumor memory T cells. This process depends on sentinel lymph nodes, as their removal at the time of surgery was associated with a strong negative effect on survival. We conclude that complete tumor resection provides a unique environment that boosts protective immunological memory and might provide a powerful platform for immunotherapy. Our findings also carry important implications for the design and timing of post-surgery immunotherapeutic regimens.
authors.affiliation: Urological Research Centre/University Department of Surgery; Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital; Perth, WA.
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Robbert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van der Most
authors.forename: Justin B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Vivian
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lake
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Larma
authors.forename: Bruce W S
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Currie