Lam Runyi Adeline, Tien Tracy Zhijun, Joseph Craig Ryan, Lim Johnathan Xiande, Thike Aye Aye, Iqbal Jabed, Tan Puay Hoon, Yeong Joe Poh Sheng
MD Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore.
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138648, Singapore.
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Jul 31;13(15):3875. doi: 10.3390/cancers13153875.
Breast cancer cells commonly express tumour-associated antigens that can induce immune responses to eradicate the tumour. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a form of breast cancer lacking the expression of hormone receptors and cerbB2 (HER2) and tends to be more aggressive and associated with poorer prognoses due to the limited treatment options. Characterisation of biomarkers or treatment targets is thus of great significance in revealing additional therapeutic options. Cancer-testis antigens (CTAs) are tumour-associated antigens that have garnered strong attention as potential clinical biomarkers in targeted immunotherapy due to their cancer-restricted expressions and robust immunogenicity. Previous clinical studies reported that CTAs correlated with negative hormonal status, advanced tumour behaviour and a poor prognosis in a variety of cancers. Various studies also demonstrated the oncogenic potential of CTAs in cell proliferation by inhibiting cell death and inducing metastasis. Multiple clinical trials are in progress to evaluate the role of CTAs as treatment targets in various cancers. CTAs hold great promise as potential treatment targets and biomarkers in cancer, and further research could be conducted on elucidating the mechanism of actions of CTAs in breast cancer or combination therapy with other immune modulators. In the current review, we summarise the current understandings of CTAs in TNBC, addressing the role and utility of CTAs in TNBC, as well as discussing the potential applications and advantage of incorporating CTAs in clinical practise.
乳腺癌细胞通常表达肿瘤相关抗原，这些抗原可诱导免疫反应以根除肿瘤。三阴性乳腺癌（TNBC）是一种缺乏激素受体和cerbB2（HER2）表达的乳腺癌形式，由于治疗选择有限，它往往更具侵袭性且预后较差。因此，生物标志物或治疗靶点的特征化对于揭示更多治疗选择具有重要意义。癌-睾丸抗原（CTAs）是肿瘤相关抗原，由于其在癌症中的限制性表达和强大的免疫原性，作为靶向免疫治疗中潜在的临床生物标志物受到了广泛关注。先前的临床研究报道，CTAs与多种癌症的激素阴性状态、肿瘤进展行为和不良预后相关。各种研究还证明了CTAs通过抑制细胞死亡和诱导转移在细胞增殖中的致癌潜力。多项临床试验正在进行中，以评估CTAs作为各种癌症治疗靶点的作用。CTAs作为癌症潜在的治疗靶点和生物标志物具有很大的前景，可以进一步开展研究以阐明CTAs在乳腺癌中的作用机制或与其他免疫调节剂的联合治疗。在本综述中，我们总结了目前对TNBC中CTAs的认识，阐述了CTAs在TNBC中的作用和应用，并讨论了将CTAs纳入临床实践的潜在应用和优势。
