Functional T cells targeting tumor-associated antigens are predictive for recurrence-free survival of patients with radically operated non-small cell lung cancer
Safi S, Yamauchi Y, Rathinasamy A, Stamova S, Eichhorn M, Warth A, Rauch G, Dienemann H, Hoffmann H, Beckhove P (2017)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2017
Journal
Book Volume: 6
Article Number: e1360458
Journal Issue: 11
DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2017.1360458
Abstract
In this prospective study, we examined postoperative follow-up and preoperative IFN-γ T cell responses against 14 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)-associated antigens in the blood of 51 patients with NSCLC, 7 patients with benign pulmonary tumors, and 10 tumor-free patients by enzyme-linked immunospot assay. The phenotype and function of T cells specific for tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) in the blood or tumor tissue of 9 NSCLC patients were characterized in detail using TNF-α, IL-2, and IFN-γ cytokine capture assays. We found that circulating TAA-specific T cells were significantly enriched in NSCLC compared with tumor-free patients. The most frequently recognized TAAs were Aurora kinase A, HER2/neu, NY-ESO-1, and p53. TNF-α was the most abundant cytokine secreted by TAA-specific T cells in the blood as well as by in situ-activated tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, most of which were effector memory cells. The absence of TAA-reactive T cells identified patients at higher risk of tumor recurrence, irrespective of tumor stage (OR = 8.76, 95% CI: 1.57–34.79, p = 0.008). We conclude that pre-existing TAA-reactive circulating T cells are a strong independent prognostic factor for recurrence-free survival. These data may help discriminating high-risk from low-risk patients, improving prognostication, and redirecting adjuvant therapy. Our findings suggest the therapeutic relevance of Aurora kinase A, HER2/neu, NY-ESO-1, and p53 as targets for immunotherapy. This study is registered on Clinicaltrials.gov with trial identification number: NCT02515760.
Involved external institutions
Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Germany (DE)
Universitätsklinikum Regensburg
Germany (DE)
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
Germany (DE)
Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)
Germany (DE)
Germany (DE)
Universitätsklinikum Regensburg
Germany (DE)
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
Germany (DE)
Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)
Germany (DE)
How to cite
APA:
Safi, S., Yamauchi, Y., Rathinasamy, A., Stamova, S., Eichhorn, M., Warth, A.,... Beckhove, P. (2017). Functional T cells targeting tumor-associated antigens are predictive for recurrence-free survival of patients with radically operated non-small cell lung cancer. OncoImmunology, 6(11). https://doi.org/10.1080/2162402X.2017.1360458
MLA:
Safi, Seyer, et al. "Functional T cells targeting tumor-associated antigens are predictive for recurrence-free survival of patients with radically operated non-small cell lung cancer." OncoImmunology 6.11 (2017).
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