Carcinoma-associated differentiation antigens

Carcinoma-associated differentiation antigens (CADAs) are a broad class of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) that are expressed on the surface of epithelial-derived cancer cells. These antigens are typically proteins or glycoproteins that are also expressed in the normal tissue of origin at specific stages of differentiation but are significantly overexpressed or aberrantly presented in malignant cells. Common examples include the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and mucin 1 (MUC1). Because of their differential expression between tumor and normal tissues, CADAs serve as critical targets for various immunotherapeutic strategies, including monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies. However, the shared expression of these antigens in some healthy tissues poses a risk of on-target, off-tumor toxicity, which remains a significant challenge in drug development.

Other names

Tumor-associated differentiation antigensCarcinoma-associated antigensEpithelial differentiation antigensLineage-specific tumor antigens

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), inhibition of signaling pathways, and T-cell mediated cytotoxicity.