Thymic Function and T-Cell Receptor Repertoire Diversity: Implications for Patient Response to Checkpoint Blockade Immunotherapy.

ABSTRACT: The capacity of T cells to recognize and mount an immune response against tumor antigens depends on the large diversity of the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire generated in the thymus during the process of T-cell development. However, this process is dramatically impaired by immunological insults, such as that caused by cytoreductive cancer therapies and infections, and by the physiological decline of thymic function with age. Defective thymic function and a skewed TCR repertoire can have significant clinical consequences. The presence of an adequate pool of T cells capable of recognizing specific tumor antigens is a prerequisite for the success of cancer immunotherapy using checkpoint blockade therapy. However, while this approach has improved the chances of survival of patients with diff

SUBMITTER: Cardinale A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8652142 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature