Calcitonin-specific antitumor immunity in medullary thyroid carcinoma following dendritic cell vaccination.

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the immune response following immunotherapy with calcitonin-pulsed dendritic cells (DC) in 7 patients with metastasized medullary thyroid carcinoma. After immunization with 1-5 x 10(6) autologous DC, significant calcitonin-specific T cell proliferation was detectable in 3 patients. Measurement of cytokine release from T lymphocytes demonstrated high post-treatment interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) secretion after stimulation with calcitonin in 5 patients, one of whom experienced significant tumor regression. In contrast, antigen-specific interleukin-4 (IL-4) production was only slightly increased in 4 patients. All 7 patients developed a strong delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin reaction, which was confirmed to be mediated by infiltrating CD4+ T-helper cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells in all 3 patients who underwent skin biopsy. This is the first study to show that a polypeptide hormone can be used to develop a DC vaccination strategy for the immunotherapy of highly malignant endocrine cancers.

• Authors: Matthias Schott, Joachim Feldkamp, Melanie Klucken, Guido Kobbe, Werner A Scherbaum, Jochen Seissler
• Journal: Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII (Cancer Immunol Immunother) Vol. 51 Issue 11-12 Pg. 663-8 (Dec 2002) ISSN: 0340-7004 [Print] Germany
• PMID: 12439612 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Cytokines
• Calcitonin

Topics

• Adult
• Calcitonin (immunology)
• Carcinoma, Medullary (immunology, therapy)
• Cytokines (biosynthesis)
• Dendritic Cells (immunology)
• Female
• Humans
• Hypersensitivity, Delayed (etiology)
• Immunohistochemistry
• Lymphocyte Activation
• Male
• Middle Aged
• T-Lymphocytes (immunology)
• Thyroid Neoplasms (immunology, therapy)
• Vaccination