The clinical application of COX-2 inhibitors may strengthen the sensitivity of renal cell carcinoma to immunotherapy

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains a difficult management problem, because of the high metastatic rate and insensitivity of metastatic RCC to the traditional cytokine-based immunotherapy such as interleukin-2 and interferon-alpha. Regulatory T cells had a crucial role in impeding immune surveillance against cancer and hampering the development of effective anti-tumor immunity. At the same time cyclooxygenase-2 derived prostaglandin E-2 played an important role in the transformation of regulatory T cells and could strengthen the inhibitory function of regulatory T cells. Previous experiment characterized that cyclooxygenase-2 was highly expressed in RCC. Herein, we draw the hypothesis that cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition may dampen the transformation of regulatory T cells and in turn contribute to eradicating RCC by the immune system. The clinical application of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors may strengthen the sensitivity of RCC to cytokine-based immunotherapy. (c) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.