Functional T cells targeting tumor-associated antigens are predictive for recurrence-free survival of patients with radically operated non-small cell lung cancer

Seyer Safi, Yoshikane Yamauchi, Anchana Rathinasamy, Slava Stamova, Martin Eichhorn, Arne Warth, Geraldine Rauch, Hendrik Dienemann, Hans Hoffmann, Philipp Beckhove

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this prospective study, we examined postoperative follow-up and preoperative IFN-γ T cell responses against 14 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)-associated antigens in the blood of 51 patients with NSCLC, 7 patients with benign pulmonary tumors, and 10 tumor-free patients by enzyme-linked immunospot assay. The phenotype and function of T cells specific for tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) in the blood or tumor tissue of 9 NSCLC patients were characterized in detail using TNF-α, IL-2, and IFN-γ cytokine capture assays. We found that circulating TAA-specific T cells were significantly enriched in NSCLC compared with tumor-free patients. The most frequently recognized TAAs were Aurora kinase A, HER2/neu, NY-ESO-1, and p53. TNF-α was the most abundant cytokine secreted by TAA-specific T cells in the blood as well as by in situ-activated tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, most of which were effector memory cells. The absence of TAA-reactive T cells identified patients at higher risk of tumor recurrence, irrespective of tumor stage (OR = 8.76, 95% CI: 1.57–34.79, p = 0.008). We conclude that pre-existing TAA-reactive circulating T cells are a strong independent prognostic factor for recurrence-free survival. These data may help discriminating high-risk from low-risk patients, improving prognostication, and redirecting adjuvant therapy. Our findings suggest the therapeutic relevance of Aurora kinase A, HER2/neu, NY-ESO-1, and p53 as targets for immunotherapy. This study is registered on Clinicaltrials.gov with trial identification number: NCT02515760.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere1360458
JournalOncoImmunology
Volume6
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Nov 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Immunotherapy
  • memory T cells
  • non-small cell lung cancer
  • survival
  • tumor-associated antigens

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