Nearly half of penile cancers are related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Investigations of tumor- and HPV-specific T cell reactivity in regional lymph nodes (LNs) from patients with penile cancer are warranted.
In this study, single-cell suspensions from LNs and peripheral blood from 11 patients with penile cancer were stained with antibodies for lymphocyte markers and analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). DNA was extracted from the tumor tissue and HPV status was investigated by PCR.
T-cell reactivity against autologous tumor-extract and against the HPV-vaccine Gardasil® was tested by flow-cytometric assay of specific cell-mediated immune response in activated whole blood (FASCIA). CD4+/CD8+ ratios were significantly lower in HPV positive LNs (p<0.05). Immune responses to tumor extract assessed by blast transformation and expansion in vitro, of either CD4+ or CD8+ T-cells, were found in 9 of 13 LNs (69%). 5 of 6 tested patients demonstrated T cell recognition of tumor-associated antigen(s). In HPV-positive patients, dose-dependent T cell responses against L1 (late) HPV proteins (Gardasil vaccine) were demonstrated.
LN-derived T cells from patients with penile cancer recognize tumor antigen(s) and in HPV-positive cases, there is a response against L1 (late) HPV proteins, being constituents of the Gardasil vaccine.
Investigative and clinical urology. 2020 Dec 10 [Epub ahead of print]
Lu Zhang, A Ali Zirakzadeh, Jesper Rosvall, Mats Hedlund, Ping Sheng Hu, Katrine Riklund, Amir Sherif, Ola Winqvist
Department of Medicine, Immunology and Allergy Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden., Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Urology and Andrology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden., Department of Urology, Stockholm South General Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden., UroClinic® prostatacenter, Sophiahemmet, Stockholm, Sweden., Cancer Biotherapy Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China., Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden., Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Urology and Andrology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. ., Department of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.