Frequencies of an Immunogenic HER-2/ neu Epitope of CD8+ T Lymphocytes Predict Favorable Clinical Outcomes in Prostate Cancer

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Mar 22;24(6):5954. doi: 10.3390/ijms24065954.

Abstract

HER-2/neu is the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, which is associated with the progression of prostate cancer (PCa). HER-2/neu-specific T cell immunity has been shown to predict immunologic and clinical responses in PCa patients treated with HER-2/neu peptide vaccines. However, its prognostic role in PCa patients receiving conventional treatment is unknown, and this was addressed in this study. The densities of CD8+ T cells specific for the HER-2/neu(780-788) peptide in the peripheral blood of PCa patients under standard treatments were correlated with TGF-β/IL-8 levels and clinical outcomes. We demonstrated that PCa patients with high frequencies of HER-2/neu(780-788)-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes had better progression-free survival (PFS) as compared with PCa patients with low frequencies. Increased frequencies of HER-2/neu(780-788)-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes were also associated with lower levels of TGF-β and IL-8. Our data provide the first evidence of the predictive role of HER-2/neu-specific T cell immunity in PCa.

Keywords: CD8+ T cell immunity; HER-2(780–788); HER-2/neu; IL-8; TGF-β; prostate cancer; survival.

MeSH terms

  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes
  • Cancer Vaccines*
  • Epitopes
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-8
  • Male
  • Prostatic Neoplasms*
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / metabolism

Substances

  • Epitopes
  • Interleukin-8
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • Cancer Vaccines

Grants and funding

This research has been co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program of Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation under the call RESEARCH–CREATE–INNOVATE (project code: T1EDK-01404).