Articles

Unravelling the immunotherapeutic potential of CD70 as a target in solid malignancies

BJMO - volume 13, issue 2, march 2019

J. Jacobs PhD, T. Flieswasser MSc, F. Lardon PhD, E. Smits PhD, P. Pauwels MD, PhD

SUMMARY

Under normal conditions, CD70, member of the tumour necrosis factor family, is only transiently expressed on activated T and B cells. Instead, constitutive expression of CD70 has been described on malignant cells in a range of solid and haematological malignancies. Through its receptor, CD27, the expression of CD70 can facilitate evasion of the immune system by three important mechanisms: induction of T cell apoptosis, T cell exhaustion and increasing the amount of suppressive regulatory T cells. The general aim of this thesis was to investigate the role of CD70 in solid tumour types and explore promising combination strategies for anti-CD70 therapy. Thereby, we focused on the role of CD70 in non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(2):54–59)

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What can the tumour microenvironment tell us?

BJMO - , issue ,

C. Boeckx PhD, E. Smits PhD, J. Jacobs PhD

Nowadays, PD-L1/PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors have become a key part of the clinical management of cancer. Improving our understanding of anti-cancer immune response, which is influenced by a complex set of tumour, host and environment factors, will further broaden the clinical applicability of these treatments. In this review, we discuss several approaches to evaluate the tumour microenvironment (TME) in clinical practice as well as a view on future predictive biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy.

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What can the tumour microenvironment tell us?

BJMO - volume 12, issue 9, february 2018

C. Boeckx PhD, E. Smits PhD, J. Jacobs PhD

Nowadays, PD-L1/PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors have become a key part of the clinical management of cancer. Improving our understanding of anti-cancer immune response, which is influenced by a complex set of tumour, host and environment factors, will further broaden the clinical applicability of these treatments. In this review, we discuss several approaches to evaluate the tumour microenvironment (TME) in clinical practice as well as a view on future predictive biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy.

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The role of immunotherapy in colorectal cancer

BJMO - volume 9, issue 1, february 2015

V. Deschoolmeester PhD, E. Smits PhD, M. Peeters MD, PhD, J.B. Vermorken MD, PhD

Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer worldwide and a leading cause of cancer related mortality. Although chemo- and radiation therapy can improve survival rates, it is imperative to integrate more advanced treatment options; therefore, rationally designed immunotherapeutic strategies are being explored as adjuvant treatment. In this review, we will discuss the study design and results of the clinical trials that have been conducted in colorectal cancer patients using autologous and allogeneic tumour cell vaccines, peptide vaccines, viral vector based vaccines, dendritic cell based vaccines, and antibody-based immunotherapy as well as some future recommendations.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2015;9(1):25–30)

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