The regulation of antitumor immune responses by helper T cells—From the bench research to the discovery of H/K-HELP cancer vaccine—

Abstract

During past decades, cancer vaccine therapy has been focused on only the activation of CTL, but its therapeutic effect was not successful though long SD was induced. The failure of cancer vaccine is derived from (i) the existence of a strong tumor escape mechanisms and (ii) the ignorance of helper T cell activation. We have proposed that Th1-dominant immunity played a critical role for overcoming immunosuppressive tumor-escape mechanisms to induce tumor-specific CTL, which are essential for the complete cure of tumor and prevention of tumor recurrence. To apply these basic findings, we started a clinical trial of a novel cancer vaccine/cell therapy (Th1 cell therapy) using H/K-HELP of MAGE-A4 or Survivin cancer antigen. In phase I study, H/K-HELP consisted of both killer and helper epitopes and Th1 adjuvants (OK-432 and Montanide) were subcutaneously administered into cancer patients 4 times at 2 wks intervals. Both MAGE-A4-H/K-HELP and Survivin-H/K-HELP cancer vaccine induced cancer-specific Th1 and Tc1 immune responses and cancer-specific C-fixing antibodies (IgG1 and IgG3) in cancer patients. Moreover, Survivin-H/K-HELP vaccination induced a complete regression of chemo and radio-resistant lateral deep cervical node recurrence of triple-negative breast cancer. H/K-HELP vaccination with Th1 adjuvants or its combination with Th1 cells will become a promising cancer vaccine/cell therapy of human cancer.