EBV and nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a target for cellular therapies

Evaluation of: Li F, Song D, Lu Y, Zhu H, Chen Z, He X. Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) immune response related with EBV-DNA in nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with autologous dendritic cell vaccination after radiotherapy. J. Immunother. 36(3), 208-214 (2013). The association of EBV with a number of human malignancies has provided the basis for the development of a range of targeted immunotherapeutic approaches that focus upon eliciting cellular immune responses to viral antigens expressed in malignant cells. The approach outlined in the study of Li and colleagues continues this focus upon the use of tumor-associated viral antigens to treat EBV-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which is endemic to regions of southern China. Employing monocyte-derived dendritic cells to deliver a limited number of CD8(+) T-cell epitopes encoded by the LMP2A antigen of EBV, the authors indicate that the induction of a delayed-type hypersensitivity response, rather than immunity in the peripheral blood is associated with a decrease in viral load, an often used correlate of tumor load in EBV-associated malignancies.