IC_IL_EC_2017 | Investigating the effects of immunogenic chemoradiation in shaping the immune landscape of esophageal cancers

Summary
Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is among the top 10 deadliest cancers worldwide. The current standard
therapy for ES is neoadjuvant (pre-operative) chemoradiation (NACR) followed by surgery. However,
only 30% of patients achieve a complete pathological response (CPR) and long-term survival.
Understanding the mechanisms of response to NACR is hence pivotal to better stratify patients and
inform the design of more efficacious therapies. Evidence from some tumors suggests that NACR is
“immunogenic” and stimulates anti-cancer immune responses, which may contribute to the longterm
effects of successful treatments. Tumor neo-antigens, generated by somatically mutated
cancer genes, have been recently implicated in the activation of the most efficient anti-tumor T cell
response capable of controlling tumor progression, induced by immune checkpoint blockade
immunotherapy. This raises the question as to whether clinical responses induced by NACR in a
fraction of ECs may be linked to the stimulation of clinically relevant T cell responses against tumor
neoantigens, implying that activating tumor immunity in the non-responding ones may improve
clinical responses. Objective of this proof-of-concept study is hence to address this question through
the implementation of a high-throughput platform to assess neoantigen-specific T cell responses in
ECs in the course of NACR.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/752698
Start date: 01-03-2018
End date: 19-05-2020
Total budget - Public funding: 168 277,20 Euro - 168 277,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is among the top 10 deadliest cancers worldwide. The current standard
therapy for ES is neoadjuvant (pre-operative) chemoradiation (NACR) followed by surgery. However,
only 30% of patients achieve a complete pathological response (CPR) and long-term survival.
Understanding the mechanisms of response to NACR is hence pivotal to better stratify patients and
inform the design of more efficacious therapies. Evidence from some tumors suggests that NACR is
“immunogenic” and stimulates anti-cancer immune responses, which may contribute to the longterm
effects of successful treatments. Tumor neo-antigens, generated by somatically mutated
cancer genes, have been recently implicated in the activation of the most efficient anti-tumor T cell
response capable of controlling tumor progression, induced by immune checkpoint blockade
immunotherapy. This raises the question as to whether clinical responses induced by NACR in a
fraction of ECs may be linked to the stimulation of clinically relevant T cell responses against tumor
neoantigens, implying that activating tumor immunity in the non-responding ones may improve
clinical responses. Objective of this proof-of-concept study is hence to address this question through
the implementation of a high-throughput platform to assess neoantigen-specific T cell responses in
ECs in the course of NACR.

Status

CLOSED

Call topic

MSCA-IF-2016

Update Date

28-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.3. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
H2020-EU.1.3.2. Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
H2020-MSCA-IF-2016
MSCA-IF-2016