AUTHOR=McCarthy Patrick M. , Valdera Franklin A. , Smolinsky Todd R. , Adams Alexandra M. , O’Shea Anne E. , Thomas Katryna K. , Van Decar Spencer , Carpenter Elizabeth L. , Tiwari Ankur , Myers John W. , Hale Diane F. , Vreeland Timothy J. , Peoples George E. , Stojadinovic Alex , Clifton Guy T. 

TITLE=Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes as an endpoint in cancer vaccine trials

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1090533

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2023.1090533

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Checkpoint inhibitors have invigorated cancer immunotherapy research, including cancer vaccination. Classic early phase trial design and endpoints used in developing chemotherapy are not suited for evaluating all forms of cancer treatment. Peripheral T cell response dynamics have demonstrated inconsistency in assessing the efficacy of cancer vaccination. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), reflect the local tumor microenvironment and may prove a superior endpoint in cancer vaccination trials. Cancer vaccines may also promote success in combination immunotherapy treatment of weakly immunogenic tumors. This review explores the impact of TILs as an endpoint for cancer vaccination in multiple malignancies, summarizes the current literature regarding TILs analysis, and discusses the challenges of providing validity and a standardized implementation of this approach.</p>