Tumor-specific T Cells in Lung Cancer

Tumor-specific Effector T Cells in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer is characterized by aggressive growth and treatment resistance. New approaches include immunotherapeutic strategies but spontaneous immune responses against tumor antigens remain unclear. The aim of this study is to characterize localization and frequencies of spontaneously induced memory T cells specific for a panel of tumor-associated antigens in peripheral blood and bone marrow of non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with histology proven non-small cell lung cancer or a lesion suspicious of non-small cell lung cancer (lung cancer group)
• Healthy donors (control group)
• written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Autoimmune disease
• Patients receiving immunomodulatory drugs, e.g. tacrolimus
• Prior malignancy
• Pregnancy