0000000000040305
AUTHOR
Giorgio Parmiani
Awareness and understanding of cancer immunotherapy in Europe.
3053 Background: Use of immunotherapies in the treatment of cancer is growing and a range of new immunotherapeutic strategies are being evaluated. It is important that healthcare providers (HCP) understand these treatments and how they compare with and may complement established therapies. As part of the activities of the POINT expert group, we commissioned a survey of current awareness, attitudes and perceptions of cancer immunotherapy in Europe. Methods: From August-September 2011, 426 healthcare professionals (HCPs: oncologists, surgeons and oncology nurses) from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK (~85 respondents/country) completed online interviews. Representatives of patient ad…
Consensus nomenclature for CD8(+) T cell phenotypes in cancer
International audience; Whereas preclinical investigations and clinical studies have established that CD8+ T cells can profoundly affect cancer progression, the underlying mechanisms are still elusive. Challenging the prevalent view that the beneficial effect of CD8+ T cells in cancer is solely attributable to their cytotoxic activity, several reports have indicated that the ability of CD8+ T cells to promote tumor regression is dependent on their cytokine secretion profile and their ability to self-renew. Evidence has also shown that the tumor microenvironment can disarm CD8+ T cell immunity, leading to the emergence of dysfunctional CD8+ T cells. The existence of different types of CD8+ T…
Human NK cells selective targeting of colon cancer-initiating cells: a role for natural cytotoxicity receptors and MHC class I molecules
Abstract Tumor cell populations have been recently proposed to be composed of two compartments: tumor-initiating cells characterized by a slow and asymmetrical growth, and the “differentiated” cancer cells with a fast and symmetrical growth. Cancer stem cells or cancer-initiating cells (CICs) play a crucial role in tumor recurrence. The resistance of CICs to drugs and irradiation often allows them to survive traditional therapy. NK cells are potent cytotoxic lymphocytes that can recognize tumor cells. In this study, we have analyzed the NK cell recognition of tumor target cells derived from the two cancer cell compartments of colon adenocarcinoma lesions. Our data demonstrate that freshly p…
Resistance of Cancer Stem Cells to Cell-Mediated Immune Responses
In the past decades, the hierarchical organization of tumors, governed by Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs), have been reported with regard to several tumor types. Advances in sequencing technologies have demonstrated that diverse genetic CSCs subclones, derived from the branching evolution, compete with each other within the tumor mass, thereby contributing to the functional heterogeneity. It is becoming increasingly clear that epigenetic modifications and microenvironmental influences are important determinants of tumor fitness resulting in disease progression, recurrence and reduced patient survival. Therefore, more effective therapies will require gaining insights into the role of genetic and no…
Therapeutic vaccines for cancer: an overview of clinical trials
The therapeutic potential of host-specific and tumour-specific immune responses is well recognized and, after many years, active immunotherapies directed at inducing or augmenting these responses are entering clinical practice. Antitumour immunization is a complex, multi-component task, and the optimal combinations of antigens, adjuvants, delivery vehicles and routes of administration are not yet identified. Active immunotherapy must also address the immunosuppressive and tolerogenic mechanisms deployed by tumours. This Review provides an overview of new results from clinical studies of therapeutic cancer vaccines directed against tumour-associated antigens and discusses their implications …