Development of effective immunotherapy for the treatment of patients with cancer

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In the past two decades, rapid expansion of knowledge in molecular immunology and in understanding the tumor-host immune interaction has opened new possibilities for development of immunotherapies for the treatment of patients with cancer. Immunotherapies have been created that can successfully treat, and probably cure, selected patients with metastatic disease. This review will describe the development of human cancer immunotherapy by considering four sequential questions that have hallmarked progress in recent years (Table 1). Although virtually all of these developments were preceded by laboratory and animal experimentation, this review will deal mainly with the applications of these findings to patients with cancer. Table 1 Four Sequential Questions that Have Hallmarked Progress in the Development of Human Cancer Immunotherapy 1.Is it possible? (Can immune stimulation cause the regression of established human cancers?) 2.What are the antigens involved? 3.Can antitumor T-cells be generated in vivo by antigen immunization? 4.What mechanisms limit cancer regression despite the in vivo generation of antitumor T-cells? Open table in a new tab