Immunization with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) peptide-pulsed dendritic cells induces functional CD8+ T-cell immunity and may lead to tumor regression in patients with …

CL Lin, WF Lo, TH Lee, Y Ren, SL Hwang, YF Cheng… - Cancer research, 2002 - AACR
CL Lin, WF Lo, TH Lee, Y Ren, SL Hwang, YF Cheng, CL Chen, YS Chang, SP Lee
Cancer research, 2002AACR
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a common neoplasm in Southeast Asia, is EBV-positive
and expresses a limited number of antigens, including latent membrane protein 2. In this
study, autologous monocyte-derived dendritic cells were cultured from patients with
advanced NPC, matured with cytokine, pulsed with HLA-A1101-, A2402-, or B40011-
restricted epitope peptides from EBV latent membrane protein 2 and injected into inguinal
lymph nodes. Sixteen patients with local recurrence or distant metastasis after conventional …
Abstract
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a common neoplasm in Southeast Asia, is EBV-positive and expresses a limited number of antigens, including latent membrane protein 2. In this study, autologous monocyte-derived dendritic cells were cultured from patients with advanced NPC, matured with cytokine, pulsed with HLA-A1101-, A2402-, or B40011-restricted epitope peptides from EBV latent membrane protein 2 and injected into inguinal lymph nodes. Sixteen patients with local recurrence or distant metastasis after conventional therapies received four injections at weekly intervals. Epitope-specific CD8+ T-cell responses were elicited or boosted in 9 patients receiving HLA-A1101- or A2402-restricted peptides, with stronger responses seen to the A1101 peptide. Furthermore, epitope-specific cytotoxicity was detectable in peripheral blood T cells harvested at 3-months after vaccination from A1101-responsive patients, and in 2 patients, this coincided with partial tumor reduction. Approaches leading to stronger and more sustained EBV-specific T-cell responses, therefore, may have therapeutic potential in the context of NPC.
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