Assessing serum cytokine profiles in breast cancer patients receiving a HER2/neu vaccine using Luminex technology.

We used the Luminex assay to compare serum cytokine profiles of breast cancer patients (BCa) to healthy controls, node-positive (NP) patients to node-negative (NN), and pre- and post-vaccination serum of BCa vaccinated with a HER2/neu E75 peptide vaccine. Sera from 36 pre- and post-vaccination BCa, (12 NP and 24 NN) and 13 healthy, female donors, were evaluated using Luminex technology. Levels of 22 cytokines consisting of interleukin (IL)-1alpha, -1beta, -2, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -10, -12, -13, -15, -17, IFN-gamma, G-CSF, GM-CSF, TNF-alpha, IP-10, MIP-1alpha, RANTES, eotaxin and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) were assessed.

Levels of circulating regulatory CD4+CD25+ T cells are decreased in breast cancer patients after vaccination with a HER2/neu peptide (E75) and GM-CSF vaccine.

Purpose: We are conducting clinical trials in breast cancer (BrCa) patients to test the HER2/neu peptide vaccine (E75). We have investigated the impact of this vaccine on circulating levels of regulatory T cells (Treg) and the resulting effects on antitumor responses.

Experimental Design: Twenty-two blood samples from healthy individuals and from 22 BrCa patients including pre- and post-vaccination samples from seven vaccinated HLA-A2+ patients were stained for CD4, CD25, and CD69 as well as CD8 and E75:HLA-A2 Ig dimer and quantified by flow cytometry.

Evaluation of the HER2/neu-derived peptide GP2 for use in a peptide-based breast cancer vaccine trial.

Background: E75 and GP2 are human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2-restricted immunogenic peptides derived from the HER2/neu protein. In a E75 peptide-based vaccine trial, preexisting immunity and epitope spreading to GP2 was detected. The purpose of this study was to further investigate GP2 for potential use in vaccination strategies.

Correlations between serum monocyte chemotactic protein-1 levels, clinical prognostic factors, and HER-2/neu vaccine-related immunity in breast cancer patients.

Purpose: We studied serum monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) levels in breast cancer patients in relationship to their clinicopathologic variables and immune response to a /neu E75 vaccine.

Experimental Design: We measured MCP-1 levels in 32 /neu(+) breast cancer patients before and after vaccination with a /neu E75 peptide + granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor vaccine. Clinical prognostic variables were collected.