Cancer Therapy & Oncology International Journal

Processing Escapes: A New Perspective on Immune Escape Mechanisms

Author: Fabian Dominik Mairinger*, Michael Wessolly

Published: June 08, 2017

DOI: 10.19080/CTOIJ.2017.05.555662

Abstract Content: Novel approaches in cancer therapy have emerged in recent years. It is well-established that tumors tend to have a different antigenicity than normal cells, thereby triggering an immune response against the tumor, which include the development of tumor specific lymphocytes.One distinct therapeutically approach involves the usage of monoclonal antibodies for immune checkpoint inhibition. CTLA-4 and PD-1/PDL- 1 have been investigated as useful targets in clinical trials. In recent years, new immune escape mechanisms have been described. These mechanisms involve the complex intracellular machinery providing epitopes for CTLs. Important checkpoints of this process are the proteasomal degradation, the TAP- as well as the HLA-binding.It is hypothesized, proteasomal escape may play a role in developing resistance against this form of therapy. Deficient processing, either a defective or an extended epitope, can lead to non-recognition of those by CTLs. A weak binding of HLA: TCR would also prevent for example the PD-1/PDL-1 interaction. This would explain why some tumours are not susceptible to immunotherapy.