Figure 2.

T cell priming versus responsiveness. (A) Immunogenic tumors with sufficient antigens and priming elicit good T cell responses in the tumor draining lymph node, while poorly immunogenic tumors fail to generate T cell responses. The ability of tumors to respond to T cell control is not necessarily linked to their ability to prime T cell responses. (B) In instances where priming occurs, tumors can either respond to tumor control or fail to respond. Conversely, tumors can either be responsive or unresponsive to T cell control, despite a lack of T cell priming. (C) This dichotomy leads to strategies for therapeutic interventions based of whether T cell priming occurs and whether tumors are responsive to immune control. In the case where priming fails yet tumors are prone to immune control, effective strategies may include vaccines or radiation to boost priming or instead ex vivo expansion and adoptive transfer of tumor-specific T cells. Alternatively, in tumors where T cells are primed but fail to exert immune control, therapeutic options may include checkpoint inhibitors, costimulation, or therapies that may improve immune recognition. Instances where both priming and responsiveness are low, tumors may require multiple therapeutic modalities to improve outcomes.