High frequencies of functional tumor-reactive T cells in bone marrow and blood of pancreatic cancer patients

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Friedrich H. Schmitz-Winnenthal - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Christine Volk - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Kaspar Z'Graggen - , Heidelberg University , Clinic Beau-Site (Author)
  • Luis Galindo - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Daniel Nummer - , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) (Author)
  • Yvonne Ziouta - , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) (Author)
  • Marianna Bucur - , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) (Author)
  • Jürgen Weitz - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Volker Schirrmacher - , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) (Author)
  • Markus W. Büchler - , Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Philipp Beckhove - , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) (Author)

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is characterized by aggressive growth and treatment resistance. New approaches include immunotherapeutic strategies but the type and extent of spontaneous immune responses against tumor antigens remains unclear. A dominance of TH2 cytokines in patients' sera reported previously suggests systemic tumor-induced immunosuppression, potentially inhibiting the induction of tumor-reactive T cells. We characterized the localization, frequencies, and functional potential of spontaneously induced memory T cells specific for individual tumor antigens or the tumor-associated antigen mucin-1 in the peripheral blood and bone marrow of 41 pancreatic cancer patients. We found high numbers of tumor-reactive T cells in all bone marrow samples and in 50% of the blood samples. These cells secreted the TH1 cytokine IFN-γ rather than TH2 cytokines upon stimulation with tumor antigens. Although consistently induced during pancreatic cancer, T cells specific for pancreatic antigens were not detected during chronic pancreatitis, suggesting that their evaluation may be of diagnostic use in both diseases. Freshly isolated T cells from cancer patients recognized autologous tumor cells and rejected them in vitro and in a xenotransplant model in vivo, suggesting their therapeutic potential. Thus, tumor antigen-specific T cell responses occur regularly during pancreatic cancer disease and lead to enrichment of tumor cell-reactive memory T cells in the bone marrow. The bone marrow can therefore be considered an important organ for antitumor immune responses in pancreatic cancer.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)10079-10087
Number of pages9
JournalCancer research
Volume65
Issue number21
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2005
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

PubMed 16267034

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

ASJC Scopus subject areas