Antiangiogenic agents can increase lymphocyte infiltration into tumor and enhance the effectiveness of adoptive immunotherapy of cancer

Cancer Res. 2010 Aug 1;70(15):6171-80. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-10-0153. Epub 2010 Jul 14.

Abstract

Adoptive cell transfer (ACT)-based immunotherapies can mediate objective cancer regression in animal models and in up to 70% of patients with metastatic melanoma; however, it remains unclear whether the tumor vasculature impedes the egress of tumor-specific T cells, thus hindering this immunotherapy. Disruption of the proangiogenic interaction of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with its receptor (VEGFR-2) has been reported to "normalize" tumor vasculature, enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents by increasing their delivery to the tumor intersitium. We thus sought to determine whether disrupting VEGF/VEGFR-2 signaling could enhance the effectiveness of ACT in a murine cancer model. The administration of an antibody against mouse VEGF synergized with ACT to enhance inhibition of established, vascularized, B16 melanoma (P = 0.009) and improve survival (P = 0.003). Additive effects of an antibody against VEGFR-2 in conjunction with ACT were seen in this model (P = 0.013). Anti-VEGF, but not anti-VEGFR-2, antibody significantly increased infiltration of transferred cells into the tumor. Thus, normalization of tumor vasculature through disruption of the VEGF/VEGFR-2 axis can increase extravasation of adoptively transferred T cells into the tumor and improve ACT-based immunotherapy. These studies provide a rationale for the exploration of combining antiangiogenic agents with ACT for the treatment of patients with cancer.

MeSH terms

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / pharmacology
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Bevacizumab
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / immunology
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / methods*
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / drug effects*
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / immunology*
  • Melanoma, Experimental / immunology
  • Melanoma, Experimental / therapy*
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Skin Neoplasms / immunology
  • Skin Neoplasms / therapy*
  • T-Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / immunology
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / immunology
  • Whole-Body Irradiation
  • gp100 Melanoma Antigen

Substances

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • DC101 monoclonal antibody
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • Pmel protein, mouse
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • gp100 Melanoma Antigen
  • Bevacizumab
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2