Tumor Immunogenicity—The Prime Determinant of the Nutritional Influence on the Host‐Tumor Relationship

Abstract

The influence which malnutrition plays on the host-tumor relationship is controversial because of the disparity of human and rodent tumors, a critical difference being the minimal immunogenicity of human tumors and the variable antigenicity of rodent tumors. The hypothesis we tested is that the influence of malnutrition on tumor growth is a result of the immunogenicity of the host's tumor. C-1300 neuroblastoma (NB) is an immunogenic tumor by in vivo and in vitro assessment while the histologically identical TBJ-NB clone is non-immunizing. Isogeneic A/J mice were malnourished with 2.5% protein chow and were inoculated with C-1300-NB or TBJ-NB; either serial tumor volumes were assessed by three-dimensional measurement or animals were serially killed and tumor weight/carcass weight ratios (TW/CW) were calculated. Non-immunogenic TBJ-NB grew more rapidly than C-1300-NB in both control and malnourished groups, but there was no difference in either tumor size or TW/CW ratios between the two TBJ-NB nutritional groups. Contrasting with these data were immunogenic C-1300-NB in that the tumor grew significantly better in malnourished mice (tumor volume p less than 0.05 day 12 and 14; TW/CW p less than 0.026 by day 21). Prior whole-body irradiation abrogated this difference. These data demonstrate that for tumors differing only in antigenicity the influence of malnutrition is on that tumor which induces an immunologic antitumor response.

Establishment and Validation of a Prognostic Immune Signature in Neuroblastoma

“…Moreover, the mutual interaction between neuroblastoma cells and immune cells, such as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), may further contribute to tumor proliferation, metastasis, and adaptive chemoresistance. 15 , 16 It has come to the researchers that neuroblastoma could exhibit either immunogenic or non-immunogenic type, 17 but there is still a lack of ample evidence considering the immune landscape in neuroblastoma.…”