Strategies for neoantigen screening and immunogenicity validation in cancer immunotherapy (Review)

Cancer immunotherapy stimulates and enhances antitumor immune responses to eliminate cancer cells. Neoantigens, which originate from specific mutations within tumor cells, are key targets in cancer immunotherapy. Neoantigens manifest as abnormal peptide fragments or protein segments that are uniquely expressed in tumor cells, making them highly immunogenic. As a result, they activate the immune system, particularly T cell‑mediated immune responses, effectively identifying and eliminating tumor cells. Certain tumor‑associated antigens that are abnormally expressed in normal host proteins in cancer cells are promising targets for immunotherapy. Neoantigens derived from mutated proteins in cancer cells offer true cancer specificity and are often highly immunogenic. Furthermore, most neoantigens are unique to each patient, highlighting the need for personalized treatment strategies. The precise identification and screening of neoantigens are key for improving treatment efficacy and developing individualized therapeutic plans. The neoantigen prediction process involves somatic mutation identification, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, peptide processing and peptide‑HLA binding prediction. The present review summarizes the major current methods used for neoantigen screening, available computational tools and the advantages and limitations of various techniques. Additionally, the present review aimed to summarize experimental strategies for validating the immunogenicity of the predicted neoantigens, which will determine whether these neoantigens can effectively trigger immune responses, as well as challenges encountered during neoantigen screening, providing relevant recommendations for the optimization of neoantigen‑based immunotherapy.