title: Cytokines in tumour therapy.
abstract: Cytokines are low molecular weight proteins released by cells of the immune system that have therapeutic potential in cancer. They include the interleukins, the interferons, tumour necrosis factor and the colony-stimulating factors. Cytokines are capable of producing significant and sustained responses against a number of tumours. Clinically, the highest response rates to cytokine immunotherapy have been seen in melanoma and renal cell cancer. Current efforts aim to reduce treatment-related toxicity while maintaining the efficacy of cytokines. The therapeutic potential of these agents may be increased with genetic manipulation by introducing genes encoding cytokines into tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes and certain tumour cells. However, immunotherapy remains time consuming and expensive, and further developments are necessary before it can have a definitive role in tumour management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Redmond
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Croke
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bouchier-Hayes
mesh_terms: D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016207:Cytokines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007378:Interleukins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D003115:Colony-Stimulating Factors; D016207:Cytokines; D007378:Interleukins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007372:Interferons