Open AccessActive Specific Immunotherapy Targeting the Wilms' Tumor Protein 1 (WT1) for Patients with Hematological Malignancies and Solid Tumors: Lessons from Early Clinical Trials
Author(s) -
Van Driessche Ann,
Berneman Zwi N.,
Van Tendeloo Viggo F. I.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the oncologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.176
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1549-490X
pISSN - 1083-7159
DOI - 10.1634/theoncologist.2011-0240
Subject(s) - medicine , immunotherapy , wilms' tumor , clinical trial , cancer , cancer immunotherapy , adjuvant , cancer vaccine , vaccination , oncology , active immunotherapy , immunology , antigen , immunogenicity
Learning Objectives After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Explain the role of the Wilm's tumor protein 1 (WT1) as a tumor antigen in peptide‐ and dendritic cell‐based cancer immunotherapy trials. Describe the immune responses elicited by WT1‐based cancer vaccines and their potential for creating clinical responses in a majority of evaluable cancer patientsThis article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com There is a growing body of evidence that Wilms' tumor protein 1 (WT1) is a promising tumor antigen for the development of a novel class of universal cancer vaccines. Recently, in a National Cancer Institute prioritization project, WT1 was ranked first in a list of 75 cancer antigens. In this light, we exhaustively reviewed all published cancer vaccine trials reporting on WT1‐targeted active specific immunotherapy in patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors. In all clinical trials, vaccine‐induced immunological responses could be detected. Importantly, objective clinical responses (including stable disease) were observed in 46% and 64% of evaluable vaccinated patients with solid tumors and hematological malignancies, respectively. Immunogenicity of WT1‐based cancer vaccines was demonstrated by the detection of a specific immunological response in 35% and 68% of evaluable patients with solid tumors and hematological malignancies, respectively. In order to become part of the armamentarium of the modern oncologist, it will be important to design WT1‐based immunotherapies applicable to a large patient population, to standardize vaccination protocols enabling systematic review, and to further optimize the immunostimulatory capacity of the vaccine components. Moreover, improved immunomonitoring tools that reveal clinically relevant T‐cell responses will further shape the ideal WT1 immunotherapy strategy. In conclusion, the clinical results obtained so far in WT1‐targeted cancer vaccine trials reveal an untapped potential for inducing cancer immunity with minimal side effects and hold promise for a new adjuvant treatment against residual disease and against cancer relapse.