CMB305 also includes a boost from a NY-ESO-1 protein vaccine given along with a potent toll-like-4 receptor agonist, glycopyranosyl lipid A. CMB305 induces NY-ESO-1 specific T cell responses in both SS and MRC patients and these patients had excellent overall survival (OS) outcomes in the initial phase I study.
Although SS has failed to respond to immune checkpoint blockade, other strategies designed to generate an immune response, including adoptive cell therapies targeting the cancer testis antigen NY-ESO-1, have shown encouraging results.
Combined use of MAGEA4 and NY-ESO-1 increased the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values for distinguishing synovial sarcoma from spindle cell tumors and other mimicking tumors, compared to individual use of MAGEA4 or NY-ESO-1.
Finally, in regard to the investigation of cancer-testis antigens, myxoid/round cell liposarcoma and synovial sarcoma showed frequent and high expression of PRAME and NY-ESO-1.
Among the up-regulated cancer-testis antigens, we analyzed PRAME, MAGEA1, and MAGEA4 and another cancer-testis antigen (NY-ESO-1) together, by immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction in 108 SSs.
Beyond its role in patient selection for targeted therapy, immunohistochemistry for NY-ESO-1 may be diagnostically useful for the distinction of synovial sarcoma from other spindle cell neoplasms.