Gene-engineered T cells as a superior adjuvant therapy for metastatic cancer

J Immunol. 2004 Aug 1;173(3):2143-50. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.173.3.2143.

Abstract

The major limiting factor in the successful application of adjuvant therapy for metastatic disease is the lack of adjuvant specificity that leads to severe side effects. Reasoning that T cells of the immune system are highly specific, we generated tumor-specific T cells by genetic modification of mouse primary T cells with a chimeric receptor reactive with the human breast cancer-associated Ag erbB-2. These T cells killed breast cancer cells and secreted IFN-gamma in an Ag-specific manner in vitro. We investigated their use against metastatic breast cancer in mice in an adjuvant setting, and compared their effectiveness with the commonly applied adjuvants doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and herceptin. Mice were inoculated orthotopically with the human erbB-2-expressing spontaneously metastatic mouse breast cancer 4T1.2 in mammary tissue, and the primary tumor was surgically removed 8 days later. Significant metastatic disease was demonstrated in lung and liver at the time of surgery on day 8 with increased tumor burden at later time points. T cell adjuvant treatment of day 8 metastatic disease resulted in dramatic increases in survival of mice, and this survival was significantly greater than that afforded by either doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, or herceptin.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Carcinoma / drug therapy
  • Carcinoma / pathology
  • Carcinoma / secondary*
  • Carcinoma / surgery
  • Carcinoma / therapy
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Doxorubicin / therapeutic use
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
  • Female
  • Fluorouracil / therapeutic use
  • Genetic Engineering
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive*
  • Interferon-gamma / metabolism
  • Liver Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Liver Neoplasms / secondary
  • Liver Neoplasms / therapy
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Lung Neoplasms / secondary
  • Lung Neoplasms / therapy
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / drug therapy
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / pathology
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / surgery
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / therapy*
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics*
  • Membrane Proteins / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, SCID
  • Neoplasm Proteins / immunology*
  • Neoplasm Transplantation
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / immunology*
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / genetics*
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / immunology
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / immunology
  • T-Cell Antigen Receptor Specificity / genetics*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / transplantation*
  • Trastuzumab

Substances

  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • antigen T cell receptor, zeta chain
  • Doxorubicin
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • Trastuzumab
  • Fluorouracil