Understanding Immune Requirements for the Rejection of Squamous Skin Cancer

Patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs to prevent organ transplant rejection suffer a greatly increased risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) development. However, not all immunosuppressive drugs confer the same risk. Randomised, controlled trials demonstrate that switching renal transplant recipients receiving calcineurin inhibitor-based therapies to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors results in a reduced incidence of de novo SSC formation, and can even result in the regression of pre-existing premalignant lesions. However, very little is understood about the contribution played by residual immune function in this setting. We examined the hypotheses that mTOR inhibitors promote T-cell activity in the skin through the enhanced differentiation and function of CD8 memory T-cells, and that consequent CD8 T-cell function plays a key role in reducing the incidence of de novo SSC formation.

Presenter: Dr James Wells