Hypothesis on the possible relevance of the immunogenic cell death in the treatment of gestational trophoblastic neoplasms

G Frega; O Kepp; D Turchetti; A Rizzo; M A Pantaleo; G Brandi

doi:10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101224

Hypothesis on the possible relevance of the immunogenic cell death in the treatment of gestational trophoblastic neoplasms

Transl Oncol. 2021 Dec;14(12):101224. doi: 10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101224. Epub 2021 Sep 27.

Authors

G Frega¹, O Kepp², D Turchetti³, A Rizzo⁴, M A Pantaleo⁴, G Brandi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Specialistic, Diagnostic and Experimental Medicine (DIMES), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Italy; Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni n.15, 40138 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: giorgio.frega2@unibo.it.
² Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, INSERM UMR1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.
³ Department of Specialistic, Diagnostic and Experimental Medicine (DIMES), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Italy; U.O. Genetica Medica, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Centro di Ricerca sui Tumori Ereditari, Bologna Italy.
⁴ Department of Specialistic, Diagnostic and Experimental Medicine (DIMES), Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Italy; Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni n.15, 40138 Bologna, Italy.

Abstract

The genetic background and the antigenic landscape of cancer cells play a critical role in the response to immunotherapies. A high tumor antigenicity, together with an increased adjuvanticity potentially induced by a peculiar type of cell death, namely immunogenic cell death (ICD), could foster the response to immunogenic therapies. The gestational trophoblastic neoplasm (GTN) is a one-of-a-kind cancer in the oncological landscape due to its exclusive genomic makeup. The prognosis of GTN is significantly better than non-gestational trophoblastic neoplasm (nGTN). Due to its peculiar genetic inheritance, GTN potentially constitutes a singular archetype in the immuno-oncological field.

Keywords: Bystander effect; Cancer genome; Gestational choriocarcinoma; Immunogenic cell death; Immunomodulatory chemotherapies.