NOVEL APPROACH TO IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR EPITHELIAL CANCERS, BONE AND SOFT-TISSUE SARCOMAS

The identification of tumor antigens recognized by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and subsequent clinical trials using peptide immunization have shown tumor regression in advanced malignant melanoma patients. However, efficacious therapies for epithelial cancers, and certainly bone and soft tissue sarcomas, seemed to have been significantly delayed. For the development of a peptide-based immunotherapy for epithelial cancer and sarcomas, we have identified novel antigens recognized by CTLs using autologous pairs of tumor cell line-CTLs, or reversed immunological approach. Recently we started the phase I clinical trials of peptide-based immunotherapy. In this review, we described the recent study to establish a peptide-based immunotherapy for epithelial cancers, bone and soft-tissue sarcomas.