Landscape of immunogenic tumor antigens in successful immunotherapy of virally induced epithelial cancer
Menée à partir d'échantillons sanguins prélevés sur deux patientes atteintes d'un carcinome du col utérin lié au papillomavirus humain et traité par transfert adoptif de lymphocytes T, cette étude analyse la réponse antitumorale de ces lymphocytes T et identifie les antigènes tumoraux immunogènes
Adoptive cell transfer harnesses a patient's own T cells to destroy cancer. The strategy can successfully treat epithelial tumors driven by human papillomavirus (HPV), but it remains unclear why only some patients respond. Stevanovi
ć et al. examined the antitumor T cell response associated with HPV+ cervical cancers that underwent complete regression. Unexpectedly, reactive T cells were not directed against virally associated antigens, but rather against cancer germline antigens or neoantigens not previously recognized by the immune system. These findings counter the widely held belief that T cell responses against viral antigens are responsible for therapeutic effects in HPV-driven cancers.