Definition
Tumor antigens (TAs) are antigens recognized by specific immune effector cells and/or antibodies and differentially expressed (qualitatively and/or quantitatively) in the tumor tissue as compared to the normal counterpart tissue.
Characteristics
Tumor Antigens Classification, Expression, and Immune Response
TAs can be divided into tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) that are unique antigens expressed by tumor cells and not by normal cells and tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), which are also expressed by normal cells although at lower levels than in tumor cells (see also Yang and Yang 2005).
TAs include mutated antigens, oncofetal antigens (OFs), cancer–testis antigens (CTs), aberrantly glycosylated and expressed antigens, tissue-lineage antigens, overexpressed antigens, and virally encoded antigens. Classification and examples of tumor antigens are shown in Table 1 (see also Khodadoust and Alizadeh 2014).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Canevari S, Pupa SM, Ménard S (1996) 1975–1995 revised anti-cancer serological response: biological significance and clinical implications. Ann Oncol 7:227–232
Heimburg-Molinaro J, Lum M, Vijay G, Jain M, Almogren A, Rittenhouse-Olson K (2011) Cancer vaccines and carbohydrate epitopes. Vaccine 29:8802–8826
Khodadoust MS, Alizadeh AA (2014) Tumor antigen discovery through translation of the cancer genome. Immunol Res 58:292–299
Reuschenbach M, von Knebel Doeberitz M, Wentzensen N (2009) A systematic review of humoral immune responses against tumor antigens. Cancer Immunol Immunother 58:1535–1544
Van den Eynde BJ, van der Bruggen P (1997) T cell defined tumor antigens. Curr Opin Immunol 9:684–693
Yang F, Yang XF (2005) New concepts in tumor antigens: their significance in future immunotherapies for tumors. Cell Mol Immunol 2:331–341
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Bei, R. (2014). Tumor Antigens. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_6015-8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_6015-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences