Your browser version may not work well with NCBI's Web applications. More information here...
1: Int J Cancer. 2003 Jun 10;105(2):221-5.
Related Articles, Links
Click here to read
Differences in T-cell immunity toward tumor-associated antigens in colorectal cancer and breast cancer patients.

Nagorsen D, Scheibenbogen C, Schaller G, Leigh B, Schmittel A, Letsch A, Thiel E, Keilholz U.

Medizinische Klinik III, Hematology, Oncology, and Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.

There is increasing evidence that tumors elicit specific T-cell responses in a substantial proportion of patients. Recently, we have shown that in patients with colorectal cancer specific T cells against the tumor-associated antigens (TAA) Ep-CAM, her-2/neu or CEA can be detected in peripheral blood using IFNgamma-ELISPOT assay. In our study, we have analyzed T-cell responses against HLA-A*0201-restricted epitopes of these TAA in peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer and colorectal cancer. Surprisingly, a complete absence of ex vivo T-cell responses against these TAA was found in 20 patients with breast cancer. In contrast, specific T cells were detectable in 12 of 49 patients with colorectal cancer against at least 1 of these TAA, confirming our previous results. T-cell responses against influenza-derived peptides were similar in both malignancies. The results of our study indicate a difference either of tumor immunogenicity or of the migratory pattern of tumor-specific T cells between breast cancer and colorectal cancer patients. The findings reported here have implications for the development of antigen-specific T-cell therapies. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 12673683 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]