Antigen-Specific CD4 T Cells Are Induced after Intravesical BCG-Instillation Therapy in Patients with Bladder Cancer and Show Similar Cytokine Profiles as in Active Tuberculosis.docVIP

Antigen-Specific CD4 T Cells Are Induced after Intravesical BCG-Instillation Therapy in Patients with Bladder Cancer and Show Similar Cytokine Profiles as in Active Tuberculosis , Henrik Suttmann , Kai Schmitt , Urban Sester , Julia Els??er1,2?, Martin W. Janssen1,2?, Frank Becker3 4 5 6 Michael St?ckle , Martina Sester 1 2* 1 Department of Urology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany, 2 Department of Transplant and Infection Immunology, Institute of Virology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany, 3 Boxberg Centre, Urological Group and Clinic Derout/P?nicke/Becker, Neunkirchen, Germany, 4 Urologicum Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, 5 Department of Pathology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany, 6 Department of Internal Medicine IV, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany Abstract Specific T cell immunity in patients with active tuberculosis is associated with a decrease in multifunctionality. However, it is unknown whether cytokine profiles differ in patients with primary infection and those with prior contact. We therefore used intravesical immunotherapy with attenuated live Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) in patients with urothelial carcinoma as a model to characterise the induction of systemic immunity towards purified protein derivate (PPD) and to study whether cytokine profiles differ depending on pre-existing immunity. Eighteen patients with non- muscle invasive bladder cancer were recruited during the BCG-induction course. Fifty-four healthy individuals served as controls. Interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-2 producing PPD-specific CD4 T cells were analysed longitudinally before each instillation using a rapid flow-cytometric whole blood immunoassay. Baseline levels of IFN-γ producing PPD-specific T cells were comparable to controls