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ABSTRACT: Background
Changes in adaptive immune cells after chemotherapy in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may have implications for the success of immunotherapy. This study was designed to determine the functional capacity of the immune system in adult patients with AML who have completed chemotherapy and are potential candidates for immunotherapy.Methods
We used the response to seasonal influenza vaccination as a surrogate for the robustness of the immune system in 10 AML patients in a complete remission post-chemotherapy and performed genetic, phenotypic, and functional characterization of adaptive immune cell subsets.Results
Only 2 patients generated protective titers in response to vaccination, and a majority of patients had abnormal frequencies of transitional and memory B-cells. B-cell receptor sequencing showed a B-cell repertoire with little evidence of somatic hypermutation in most patients. Conversely, frequencies of T-cell populations were similar to those seen in healthy controls, and cytotoxic T-cells demonstrated antigen-specific activity after vaccination. Effector T-cells had increased PD-1 expression in AML patients least removed from chemotherapy.Conclusion
Our results suggest that while some aspects of cellular immunity recover quickly, humoral immunity is incompletely reconstituted in the year following intensive cytotoxic chemotherapy for AML. The observed B-cell abnormalities may explain the poor response to vaccination often seen in AML patients after chemotherapy. Furthermore, the uncoupled recovery of B-cell and T-cell immunity and increased PD-1 expression shortly after chemotherapy might have implications for the success of several modalities of immunotherapy.
SUBMITTER: Goswami M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5504716 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Goswami Meghali M Prince Gabrielle G Biancotto Angelique A Moir Susan S Kardava Lela L Santich Brian H BH Cheung Foo F Kotliarov Yuri Y Chen Jinguo J Shi Rongye R Zhou Huizhi H Golding Hana H Manischewitz Jody J King Lisa L Kunz Lauren M LM Noonan Kimberly K Borrello Ivan M IM Smith B Douglas BD Hourigan Christopher S CS
Journal of translational medicine 20170710 1
<h4>Background</h4>Changes in adaptive immune cells after chemotherapy in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may have implications for the success of immunotherapy. This study was designed to determine the functional capacity of the immune system in adult patients with AML who have completed chemotherapy and are potential candidates for immunotherapy.<h4>Methods</h4>We used the response to seasonal influenza vaccination as a surrogate for the robustness of the immune system in 10 AML patients in ...[more]