NCIt definition : A tumor-associated antigen belonging to the family of immunogenic testicular proteins
that are aberrantly expressed in human cancers in a lineage-nonspecific fashion. Reverse
transcription-PCR analysis showed NY-ESO-1 mRNA expression in a variable proportion
of a wide array of human cancers, including melanoma, breast cancer, bladder cancer,
prostate cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma; and restricted expression in normal
tissues, with high-level mRNA expression found only in testis and ovary tissues. The
gene for NY-ESO-1 maps to Xq28 and codes for an 18-kDa protein having no homology
with any known protein. NY-ESO-1 elicits a strong, integrated humoral and cellular
immune response in a high proportion of patients with NY-ESO-1-expressing tumors and
is under investigation as a cancer immunotherapy agent.;