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Frequencies of HER‐2/neu overexpression relating to HLA haplotype in patients with gastric cancer
Author(s) -
Kono Koji,
Takahashi Akihiro,
Amemiya Hideki,
Ichihara Fumiko,
Sugai Hidemitsu,
Iizuka Hidehiko,
Fujii Hideki,
Matsumoto Yoshiro
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.10179
Subject(s) - cancer , immunotherapy , immunohistochemistry , human leukocyte antigen , medicine , tumor infiltrating lymphocytes , antigen , population , cytotoxic t cell , cancer research , immunology , pathology , biology , biochemistry , environmental health , in vitro
We have identified that HER‐2/neu‐derived peptides are naturally processed as tumor rejection antigens recognized by tumor‐specific, HLA‐A2‐restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes in gastric cancer. To evaluate candidates for immunotherapy using HER‐2/neu‐derived, HLA‐A2‐restricted peptides, we examined the frequency of HLA‐A2 relating to HER‐2/neu overexpression or the infiltrating grade of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in Japanese patients with gastric cancer. HER‐2/neu‐overexpressing tumors detected by immunohistochemistry amounted to 19% of primary gastric cancers and HLA‐A2‐positive patients with gastric cancer were 31% of primary gastric‐cancer cases. Finally, gastric‐cancer patients with both HLA‐A2‐positive and HER‐2/neu‐overexpressing tumors amounted to 6.6% of these cases. There was no significant difference in the infiltrating grade of TILs between gastric cancers overexpressing HER‐2/neu and those that did not. The candidate for HER‐2/neu‐based immunotherapy with HLA‐A2‐restricted peptides represent a very limited population of Japanese patients. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.