Abstract B157: OX40 expression in tumor-associated Tregs as a potential prognostic biomarker and immunotherapeutic target in ovarian cancer

Background - Treatment of ovarian cancer remains very challenging, with 80-85% of the cases still dying after relapse to standard chemotherapy, and alternative treatments are urgently needed. Expansion of regulatory T cells (Tregs) is considered the major factor limiting spontaneous immune responses to ovarian cancer. Agonist antibodies against the co-stimulatory receptor OX40 have recently demonstrated to abrogate Treg functions and are under clinical evaluation. We thus studied whether OX40 constituted a valid target of ovarian cancer-associated Tregs. Methods -Treg immunophenotypic analyses were performed by flow cytometry in ascites and ovarian cancer specimens and studied in association with patients9 outcome. Results - CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg% and OX40 expression were measured in 50 diagnostic ovarian cancer cases (36, high grade serous carcinomas; 14, other histotypes). Treg% was significantly higher in ovary (47 evaluable cases) relative to ascites (39 evaluable cases) (p Conclusions - Our study underscores a negative prognostic impact of OX40 expression on ovarian cancer-infiltrating Tregs and indicates that OX40 may constitute a rational target to counteract effector Treg functions and unleash potentially effective immune responses against ovarian cancer. Citation Format: Massimo Di Nicola, Roberta Zappasodi, Alessia Burocci, Giusi Ruggiero, Fabio Martinelli, Claudio Tripodo, Domenica Lorusso, Filippo De Braud, Francesco Raspagliesi, Mario P. Colombo. OX40 expression in tumor-associated Tregs as a potential prognostic biomarker and immunotherapeutic target in ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B157.