Karger Publishers, International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, 1(165), p. 52-60, 2014
DOI: 10.1159/000366503
Full text: Unavailable
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Ustekinumab is currently used for the treatment of psoriasis with remarkable efficiency. However, worries about the development of malignancies in ustekinumab-treated patients have not been completely resolved because of the major role of IL-12 and IL-23 in tumor immunity. In the present study, we tried to elucidate the effects of ustekinumab on antigen-specific tumor immunity. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> After approval by the institutional ethical committee, a 56-year-old male volunteer with psoriasis was administered with 20 doses of WT1 peptide. WT1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were evaluated by WT1 tetramer assay after mixed lymphocyte peptide culture. <b><i>Results:</i></b> WT1 tetramer+ T cells with cytotoxic ability appeared in the blood after peptide administration and the frequency of WT1 tetramer+ T cells increased to more than 15 in 10<sup>6</sup> CD8+ T cells. Thirty months after stopping WT1 administration, the patient commenced treatment with ustekinumab for psoriasis at weeks 0 and 4, and every 12 weeks thereafter. Psoriasis plaques were almost cleared up and the response to ustekinumab has so far lasted for 30 months. The frequency of WT1 tetramer+ T cells has not changed since the initiation of ustekinumab treatment. The effects of ustekinumab on the antigen-presenting and CTL-inducing abilities of dendritic cells were explored in vitro, revealing limited effects on both immune functions. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> These in vivo/vitro findings imply that ustekinumab improves psoriasis without suppressing tumor antigen-specific CTLs and support the data of recent clinical trials showing no increased incidence of malignancies with ustekinumab treatment.