Colorectal tumor neoantigen

Colorectal tumor neoantigens are tumor-specific peptides arising from somatic mutations (e.g., nonsynonymous point mutations, frameshift mutations, insertions/deletions) in colorectal cancer cells, displayed on the tumor cell surface via major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. They trigger T-cell-mediated cytotoxic antitumor immune responses, distinguishing them from self-antigens, and are absent in healthy tissues. Neoantigens are highly immunogenic, patient-specific or shared (e.g., from KRAS or PIK3CA mutations), and serve as ideal targets for personalized immunotherapies like neoantigen vaccines and adoptive T-cell therapies, particularly in MSI-H colorectal cancers with high mutation burden. Challenges include prediction accuracy, immune evasion in the tumor microenvironment, and variable immunogenicity in MSS tumors.

Other names

neoantigenstumor neoantigensneopeptidesneoepitopestumor-specific antigens (TSA)frameshift peptide neoantigens (FSP)mutant peptidesshared neoantigens

Neoantigen vaccines elicit tumor-specific T-cell responses; adoptive cell therapy (ACT) transfers neoantigen-reactive T-cells to kill tumor cells; enhances CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell activation against neoantigens presented by MHC; combination with checkpoint inhibitors boosts antitumor immunity