Spontaneous Regression of Ovarian Carcinoma After Septic Peritonitis; A Unique Case Report.

Despite advances in therapy, ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecological malignancy and prognosis has not substantially improved over the past 3 decades. Immunotherapy is a promising new treatment option. However, the immunosuppressive cancer microenvironment must be overcome for immunotherapy to be successful. Here, we present a unique case of spontaneous regression of ovarian carcinoma after septic peritonitis. A 79-year-old woman was diagnosed with stage IIIc ovarian cancer. The omental cake biopsy was complicated by sepsis. Although the patient recovered, her physical condition did not allow further treatment for her ovarian cancer. After 6 months, spontaneous regression of the tumor was observed during surgery. Analysis of the immune infiltrate in the tissues showed a shift from a pro-tumorigenic to an anti-tumorigenic immune response after sepsis. Strong activation of the immune system during sepsis overruled the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and allowed for a potent anti-tumor immune response. More understanding of immunological responses in cases with cancer and septic peritonitis might be crucial to identify potential new targets for immunotherapy.

Immune Curbing of Cancer Stem Cells by CTLs Directed to NANOG.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified as the source of tumor growth and disease recurrence. Eradication of CSCs is thus essential to achieve durable responses, but CSCs are resistant to current anti-tumor therapies. Novel therapeutic approaches that specifically target CSCs will, therefore, be crucial to improve patient outcome. Immunotherapies, which boost the body's own immune system to eliminate cancerous cells, could be an alternative approach to target CSCs. Vaccines of dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with tumor antigens can evoke highly specific anti-tumor T cell responses. Importantly, DC vaccination also promotes immunological memory formation, paving the way for long-term cancer control. Here, we propose a DC vaccination that specifically targets CSCs. DCs loaded with NANOG peptides, a protein required for maintaining stem cell properties, could evoke a potent anti-tumor immune response against CSCs. We hypothesize that the resulting immunological memory will also control newly formed CSCs, thereby preventing disease recurrence.

Different Lipid Regulation in Ovarian Cancer: Inhibition of the Immune System.

Lipid metabolism is altered in several cancer settings leading to different ratios of intermediates. Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy. Cancer cells disperse in the abdominal space and ascites occurs. T cells obtained from ascites are unable to proliferate after an antigenic stimulus. The proliferation of ascites-derived T cells can be restored after culturing the cells for ten days in normal culture medium. No pathway aberrancies were detected. The acellular fraction of ascites can inhibit the proliferation of autologous as well as allogeneic peripheral blood lymphocytes, indicating the presence of soluble factors that interfere with T cell functionality. Therefore, we analyzed 109 lipid mediators and found differentially regulated lipids in suppressive ascitic fluid compared to normal abdominal fluid. Our study indicates the presence of lipid intermediates in ascites of ovarian cancer patients, which coincidences with T cell dysfunctionality. Since the immune system in the abdominal cavity is compromised, this may explain the high seeding efficiency of disseminated tumor cells. Further research is needed to fully understand the correlation between the various lipids and T cell proliferation, which could lead to new treatment options.

Survival of Ovarian Cancer Patients Is Independent of the Presence of DC and T Cell Subsets in Ascites.

Ascites is a prominent feature of ovarian cancer and could serve as liquid biopsy to assess the immune status of patients. Tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes are correlated with improved survival in ovarian cancer. To investigate whether immune cells in ascites are associated with patient outcome, we analyzed the amount of dendritic cell (DC) and T cell subsets in ascites from ovarian cancer patients diagnosed with high-grade serous cancer (HGSC). Ascites was collected from 62 HGSC patients prior to chemotherapy. Clinicopathological, histological and follow-up data from patients were collected. Ascites-derived immune cells were isolated using density-gradient centrifugation. The presence of myeloid DCs (BDCA-1+, BDCA-3+, CD16+), pDCs (CD123+BDCA-2+), and T cells (CD4+, CD8+) was analyzed using flow cytometry. Complete cytoreduction, response to primary treatment and chemosensitivity were associated with improved patient outcome. In contrast, immune cells in ascites did not significantly correlate with patient survival. However, we observed a trend toward improved outcome for patients having low percentages of CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, we assessed the expression of co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory molecules on T cells and non-immune cells in 10 ascites samples. PD-1 was expressed by 30% of ascites-derived T cells and PD-L1 by 50% of non-immune cells. However, the percentage of DC and T cell subsets in ascites was not directly correlated to the survival of HGSC patients.

Visualization of Tumor-Immune Interaction - Target-Specific Imaging of S100A8/A9 Reveals Pre-Metastatic Niche Establishment.

Background Systemic cancer spread is preceded by the establishment of a permissive microenvironment in the target tissue of metastasis - the premetastatic niche. As crucial players in establishment of the pre-metastatic niche, myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) release S100A8/A9, an exosomal protein that contributes to metastasis, angiogenesis, and immune suppression. We report the application of antibody-based single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for detection of S100A8/A9 in vivo as an imaging marker for pre-metastatic tissue priming. Methods A syngeneic model system for invasive breast cancer with (4T1.2) or without (67NR) the tendency to form lung metastasis was established in BALB/c mice. A SPECT-probe has been generated and tested for visualization of S100A9 release. Tumor-associated changes in numbers and fuction of immune cells in pre-metastatic tissue were evaluated by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Results S100A8/A9 imaging reflected MDSC abundance and the establishment of an immunosuppressive environment in pre-metastatic lung tissue (activity 4T1.2 vs. healthy control: 0.95 vs. 0.45 %ID; p<0.001). The S100A8/A9 imaging signal in the pre-metastatic lung correlated with the subsequent metastatic tumor burden in the same organ (r2=0.788; p<0.0001). CCL2 blockade and the consecutive inhibition of premetastatic niche establishment was clearly depicted by S100A9-SPECT (lung activity untreated vs. treated: 2 vs, 1.4 %ID). Conclusion We report S100A8/A9 as a potent imaging biomarker for tumor-mediated immune remodeling with potential applications in basic research and clinical oncology.

Isolation of Mononuclear Cell Populations from Ovarian Carcinoma Ascites.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most fatal tumors in women. Due to a lack of symptoms and adequate screening methods, patients are diagnosed at advanced stages with extensive tumor burden (Jelovac and Armstrong, 2011). Interestingly, ovarian cancer metastasis is generally found within the peritoneal cavity rather than other tissues (Lengyel, 2010; Tan et al., 2006 ). The reason behind this tissue tropism of the peritoneal cavity remains elusive. A prominent feature of this selectivity is ascites, the accumulation of fluid within the peritoneal cavity, containing, amongst others, immune cells, tumor cells and various soluble factors that can be involved in the progression of ovarian cancer ( Kipps et al., 2013 ). The protocol described here is used to isolate mononuclear cells from ascites to study the functionality of the immune system within the peritoneal cavity.

Cellular immunotherapy in ovarian cancer: Targeting the stem of recurrence.

Ovarian cancer is a devastating disease with a high relapse rate. Due to a mostly asymptomatic early stage and lack of early diagnostic tools, the disease is usually diagnosed in a late stage. Surgery and chemotherapy with taxanes and platinum compounds are very effective in reducing tumor burden. However, relapses occur frequently and there is a lack of credible second-line options. Therefore, new treatment modalities are eagerly awaited. The presence and influx of immune cells in the ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment are correlated with survival. High numbers of infiltrating T cells correlate with improved progression free and overall survival, while the presence of regulatory T cells and expression of T cell inhibitory molecules is correlated with a poor prognosis. These data indicate that immunotherapy, especially cell-based immunotherapy could be a promising novel addition to the treatment of ovarian cancer. Here, we review the available data on the immune contexture surrounding ovarian cancer and discuss novel strategies and targets for immunotherapy in ovarian cancer. In the end the addition of immunotherapy to existing therapeutic options could lead to a great improvement in the outcome of ovarian cancer, especially when targeting cancer stem cells.