Immune response to Chemotherapy-Associated Antigens as preoperative predictor of oncologic outcome in Ovarian Cancer patients: a pilot study

Maria Luisa Gasparri (IT), Chiara Focaccetti (IT), Marino Paroli (IT), Fabio Palombo (IT), Aris Besharat (IT), Claudia Marchetti (IT), Margherita Fischetti (IT), Pierluigi Benedetti Panici (IT), Vincenzo Barnaba (IT)

[Gasparri ] Sapienza University of Rome , [Focaccetti] , [Paroli] , [Palombo] , [Besharat] , [Marchetti ] , [Fischetti ] , [Benedetti Panici ] , [Barnaba ]

Context: Chemotherapy is able to induce the release of tumor antigens from dying ovarian cancer(OC) cells (chemotherapy-associated antigens[CAAs]). T-lymphocytes recognize CAAs derived from apoptotic OC cells and generate an immune response, through INF-γ and IL-17 production. Objective: The aim is to correlate the INF-γ and IL-17 production after in vitro stimulation with CAAs, with overall survival(OS) in OC patients. Method: A correlation between INF-γ and Il-17 from OC CAAs-pulsed lymphocytes with OS was performed. Patients: Spots of INF-γ and Il-17 were evaluated at the time of diagnosis after in vitro stimulation with CAAs in 16 advanced OC patients. Interventions: Laboratory data were correlated with oncologic outcome Main Outcome measures: The spots of cytokines (INF-γ and Il-17) released by lymphocytes after stimulation with CAAs correlate with OS Results: T-cells from 11/16 advanced OC patients, previously interrogated for their capacity to respond to CAAs, were correlated with survival data. Mean of INF-γ and IL-17 produced by T-cells from selected patients (533spots/106cells±493) defines the cut-off between an high and low immune response. The median survival was 128 and 35 months for patients with high and low immune response, respectively (p=0.03). Conclusion: T-cell responses to CAAs seem to be associated with survival in OC patients