Table 1 Tumor antigen summary
Category | Tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) | Oncogenic virus-derived antigens | Tumor-specific antigens (TSAs, neoantigens) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Expression site | Mostly restricted to tumors, sometimes expressed in normal tissue | Infected cells and virus-related tumor cells | Restricted to tumors | |||
Origin | Abnormal gene expression | Virus infection | Mutated peptides derived from genomic alterations | |||
Subset | Overexpressed proteins | Differentiation antigens | Cancer/testis antigens | N/A | Public neoantigens | Private neoantigens |
Specificity | Variable | Variable | Good | Ideal | Ideal | |
Central tolerance | High | High | Low | None | None | |
Prevalence across multiple cancers | High | High | High in certain cancers | High in certain cancers | High | Low |