THE CLASS-III VARIANT OF THE EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR (EGFRVIII) - CHARACTERIZATION AND UTILIZATION AS AN IMMUNOTHERAPEUTIC TARGETS

Any immunotherapeutic approach to cancer cell eradication is based upo n the specific recognition of neoplastic cells and the sparing of surr ounding normal tissue; perhaps nowhere is this distinction more import ant than within the central nervous system, due to the diffuse infiltr ative nature of primary glial tumor cell growth. Whether ultimate effe ct moieties are immunoglobulins, fragments and/or their constructs wit h drugs, toxins, radionuclides, or immune cells, the specificity of ef fector:cell surface marker is crucial. This review describes the ident ification, immunologic characterization, and biologic behavior of a tr ansmembrane tumor-specific altered growth factor receptor molecule whi ch may well serve as a mediator of multiple immunotherapeutic approach es: the class III variant of the epidermal growth factor receptor, EGF RvIII.