Natalia Malara
Magna Graecia University School of Medicine, Italy
Title: The promising role of Circulating Tumour Cells in the personalized immunotherapy against cancer: why and how
Biography
Biography: Natalia Malara
Abstract
The immunotherapy in cancer is based on the ancient concept of activating an effective immune-mediated reaction direct against tumour cells. How to efficiency activate the immune system in this direction is still a challenge. In fact, despite the rapid increase of knowledge in oncology has contributed to improve immunotherapeutic protocols, some issues remain unresolved. Three key points represent the main challenges causing vaccine-resistance: 1. continuous dynamic changing of cancer tissue determines intrinsic tumour cell alterations; 2. adjustments in the tumour microenvironment; 3. low immune recognition against cancer cells. To learn the molecular changes, that take turns insight tumor during its progression depends on the possibility to analyse cancer cells in real time. Often, the clinicians do not have sources of available tumour cells. In fact, the biopsy of the tumour tissue cannot be repeated many times, for systemic and local complications for the patient . On the other hand, the development of vaccine-resistance depends by the heterogeneity of tumor tissue. The cancer heterogeneity represents a limit in the design and application of immunotherapy adopting specific immunogenic protein. The CTCs represent the cancer cell population released in the blood stream and can be considered like a cellular “summary” of the systemic cancer disease. Recent studies report standardized methodology to collect and short-time in vitro expanded CTCs. The protocol, making available cancer cells without modifying their heterogeneity, provides interesting solutions to overcome the degree of immune tolerance and, on the other hand, to reduce the autoimmune spiral triggered by the cryptic epitopes.