Immunotargeting of tumor subpopulations in melanoma patients: A paradigm shift in therapy approaches

Oncoimmunology. 2012 Nov 1;1(8):1454-1456. doi: 10.4161/onci.21357.

Abstract

Several melanoma cell subpopulations with tumor-initiating and/or tumor-maintaining properties exist that may contribute to chemoresistance and tumor recurrence after standard therapies. One of these subpopulations expresses a B-cell marker, CD20. In a small pilot trial, we showed that a subset of Stage IV melanoma patients may potentially benefit from an adjuvant treatment using the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab.