QJM Advance Access originally published online on May 13, 2008
QJM 2008 101(9):675-683; doi:10.1093/qjmed/hcn050
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Advances in tumour immunotherapy
From the 1Department of Immunology and Molecular Pathology, University College London, Hampstead Campus, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK and 2Department of Oncology, Imperial College London, Garry Weston Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
Address correspondence to Prof. J. Waxman, Department of Oncology, Division of Surgery, Oncology, Reproductive Biology and Anaesthetics (SORA), Imperial College London, Room 1014 Garry Weston Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK. email: j.waxman{at}imperial.ac.uk
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Abstract |
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The clinical goal of tumour immunotherapy is to provide either active or passive immunity against malignancies by harnessing the immune system to target tumours. Although vaccination is an effective strategy to prevent infectious disease, it is less effective in the therapeutic setting for cancer treatment, which might be related to the low immunogenicity of tumour antigens and the reduced immunocompetence of cancer patients. Recent advances in technology have led to the development of passive immunotherapy approaches that utilize the unique specificity of antibodies and T cell receptors to target selected antigens on tumour cells. These approaches are likely to benefit patients and alter the way that clinicians treat malignant disease. In this article we review recent advances in the immunotherapy of cancer, focusing on new strategies to enhance the efficacy of passive immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies and antigen-specific T cells.