[Telomerase, a universal target in immunotherapy strategies against tumor?]

Generating an antitumor immune response in tumor-bearing host has been impaired by several characteristics of both patient and tumor cells. Amongst those requirements is the necessity of generating immune effectors that are specific to tumor cells. The last two decades have seen the description of many so called tumor "specific" antigens. Indeed, strictly specific tumor antigens are scarce. Most antigens are tumor-associated antigens, also shared by normal tissues. Telomerase and its activity have recently been recognized as a major marker of tumoral growth in more than 80% of cancers. Some telomerase subunits might be ideal, if not universal, targets to an antitumor immune response in patients with cancer. Many other major parameters remain to be understood and to be mastered. Nevertheless, experiments reported in this overview give hope to the possibility of generating an immune response aimed at elements of telomerase, both in healthy subjects and in patients with advanced disease.