Development of a curative treatment strategy for lung cancer using the persister cancer cell mouse model.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K08625
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 53030:Respiratory medicine-related
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Ohashi Kadoaki 岡山大学, 大学病院, 研究准教授 (60729193)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 木浦 勝行 岡山大学, 大学病院, 教授 (10243502)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 非小細胞肺癌 / EGFR変異 / 腫瘍免疫

Outline of Final Research Achievements

EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) transiently inhibit but can not eradicate lung cancer with EGFR mutations . In this study, we independently established an EGFR-mutant lung cancer syngeneic mouse model and evaluated how cancer cells escape from EGFR-TKI in coordinated with tumor microenvironment.
We found that EGFR signaling induces an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and that EGFR-TKI induces CD8-positive T cells dependent antitumor immunity. Sequential administration of PD-1 and VEGFR2 inhibitors following the treatment with EGFR-TKI further boosted the anti-tumor immunity.

Free Research Field

呼吸器疾患

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

EGFR肺癌は、非喫煙者肺癌の半数以上を占める重要な疾患である。日本人を含む東アジア人に特に発生頻度が高いこと、また若年発症例も多く認めることもあり、臨床的にも社会的にも重要性が高い。本研究は、EGFR-TKIががん細胞を直接阻害しているのみならず、腫瘍免疫を誘導することを初めて明らかにした。抗腫瘍免疫を最大化させることで、EGFR-TKIの治療効果の最大化、完全寛解を目指した治療戦略の発展が期待できる。