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DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1686009
The effect of a neoadjuvant anti EGFR combinational therapy with a TLR8 agonist on the adaptive immune system in the tumor microenvironment of patients with head and neck cancer
Therapies with monoclonal antibodies that are targeted against EGFR show – despite frequent over expression- therapeutic responses only in a limited fraction of patients. Therefore, strategies are investigated in order to improve the patients immune system for therapeutic responses.
Material and methods:
HNC patients were investigated in a window of opportunity trial, combining cetuximab with motolimod. Specimen (peripheral blood and isolated tumor infiltrating lymphocytes) were analyzed by flow cytometry and multiplex pre- and post treatment.
Results:
Combinational therapy led to a significant reduction of immunosuppressive molecules on regulatory T cells. Immunecheckpoints (incl. TIGIT, PD-1, CTLA-4) on CD8+ T cells decreased after therapy. The overall number of circulating tumor antigen specific T cells was significantly increased.
Conclusion; The combination of cetuximab and motolimod stimulates the adaptive immune system of patients with head and neck cancer, whereas immunosuppressive components of the tumor microenvironment are inhibited.
Publikationsverlauf
Publikationsdatum:
23. April 2019 (online)
© 2019. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Stuttgart · New York