New principles in tumor antigens and their significance in future immunotherapies for lymphomas and other malignancies--editorial / 中国实验血液学杂志

ABSTRACT

The molecular characterization of self-antigens expressed by human malignancies that are capable of elicitation of anti-tumor immune responses in patients has been an active field in hematology, oncology, and tumor immunology. More than 2000 tumor antigens have been identified. These significant progresses have led to the renaissance of tumor immunology and studies on novel anti-tumor immunotherapies in lymphomas, other hematologic malignancies and tumors. However, despite of the progress in the identification of these self-tumor antigens, current antigen-specific immunotherapies for tumors are far less satisfactory than that expected, which reflects the urgent need to improve our understanding on the basic principles underlying the selection of these self-tumor antigens. In order to develop more effective antigen-specific anti-tumor immunotherapies and to monitor the responses to these immunotherapies in patients with lymphomas and other malignancies, many additional questions need to be addressed. In this brief review, the progress in the identification of tumor antigens in lymphomas and other malignancies was outlined and the new principles of self-tumor antigens and their significance for future immunotherapies to these malignancies were summarized.