CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Laryngorhinootologie 2019; 98(S 02): S74
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1686009
Abstracts
Oncology

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

B Kansy
1   Uniklinik Essen, Essen
,
G Shayan
2   Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
,
S Lang
1   Uniklinik Essen, Essen
,
R Hershberg
3   VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, Seattle, USA
,
R Ferris
4   Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Pittsburgh, USA
› Author Affiliations
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    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.


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    Benjamin Kansy
    Uniklinik Essen,
    Hufelandstraße 55, 45147
    Essen

    Publication History

    Publication Date:
    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/).

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