Directions in the immune targeting of cancer: Lessons learned from the cancer‐testis Ag NY‐ESO‐1

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Since the early 1990s, numerous cancer Ag have been defined and for a handful of these there is now some clinical experience, which has made it possible to assess their value as targets for cancer immunotherapy. The cancer‐testis Ag have been particularly attractive because their expression is limited to cancer and virtually no non‐malignant cells apart from germ cells and trophoblast. Among these, NY‐ESO‐1 has been the focus of our attention. The exceptional immunogenicity of this Ag coupled with its widespread distribution among many cancer types make it a very good vaccine candidate, with the potential to be used in vaccines against many types of malignancies. This article reviews emerging knowledge about the biology of NY‐ESO‐1 and experience with the early clinical development of vaccines directed against NY‐ESO‐1. These early studies have yielded a wealth of information about the immunology of NY‐ESO‐1 and set the scene for future clinical strategies for immune targeting of cancer.