We reported that the immunostimulatory cytokine LIGHT (TNFSF14) in the microenvironment of colon cancer metastases associates with improved patient survival, and here we demonstrate in an immunocompetent murine model that colon tumors expressing LIGHT stimulate lymphocyte proliferation and tumor cell-specific antitumor immune responses.
Targeting tumor tissues with LIGHT leads to augmentation of priming, recruitment, and retention of effector cells at tumor sites, directly or indirectly, to induce strong anti-tumor immunity to inhibit the growth of primary tumors as well as eradicate metastases.
Therefore, targeting the primary tumor with Ad-LIGHT before surgical excision is a new strategy to elicit better immune response for the eradication of spontaneous metastases.