Abstract
'Cancer-germline' genes such as the MAGE gene family are expressed in many tumors and in male germline cells but not in normal tissues. They encode shared tumor-specific antigens, which have been used in therapeutic vaccination trials of metastatic melanoma patients. To establish whether there is a correlation between tumoral regressions and T-cell responses against the vaccine antigen, we evaluated the responses of patients vaccinated with a MAGE-3 antigenic peptide or a recombinant virus coding for the peptide. Blood lymphocytes were stimulated with antigenic peptide followed by detection with tetramer, T-cell cloning, and TCR analysis. In 4/9 regressor patients and in 1/14 progressors we found a low level, usually monoclonal cytolytic T lymphocyte response against the MAGE-3 peptide.
MeSH terms
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Antigens, Neoplasm / immunology*
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Cancer Vaccines / therapeutic use*
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Cytotoxicity, Immunologic
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Disease Progression
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Fatal Outcome
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Female
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Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte
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Genetic Vectors / immunology
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Humans
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Immunity, Cellular
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Immunotherapy, Active*
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Lymphocyte Activation
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Melanoma / immunology
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Melanoma / pathology
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Melanoma / therapy*
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Neoplasm Metastasis
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Neoplasm Proteins / immunology*
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Peptide Fragments / immunology
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Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / genetics
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Remission Induction
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Skin Neoplasms / immunology
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Skin Neoplasms / therapy
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T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / immunology*
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Treatment Outcome
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Vaccination
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Vaccines, Subunit / immunology
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Vaccines, Synthetic / immunology
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Viral Vaccines
Substances
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ALVAC vaccine
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Antigens, Neoplasm
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Cancer Vaccines
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MAGEA3 protein, human
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Neoplasm Proteins
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Peptide Fragments
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Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta
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Vaccines, Subunit
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Vaccines, Synthetic
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Viral Vaccines