title: [Antitumor immunity and cellular cancer therapies].
abstract: The identification of tumor specific antigens has provided important advance in tumor immunology. It is now established that specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer cells infiltrate tumor tissues and are effector cells able to control tumor growth. However, such a natural antitumor immunity has limited effects in cancer patients. Failure of host defenses against tumor is consecutive to several mechanisms which are becoming targets to design new immunotherapeutic approaches. CTL are critical components of the immune response to human tumors and induction of strong CTL responses is the goal of most current vaccine strategies. Effectiveness of cytokine therapy, cancer vaccines and injection of cells improving cellular immunity have been established in tumor grafted murine models. Clinical trials are underway. To day, interest is particularly focused on cell therapy: injected cells are either "ready to use" effector cells (lymphocytes) or antigen presenting cells able to induce a protective immune reaction in vivo (dendritic cells). The challenge ahead lie in the careful optimization of the most promising strategies in clinical situation.
authors.affiliation: UPRESA Cnrs 6027, Faculté de Médecine et CHU de Rennes, 2, avenue du Pr Léon Bernard, 35043 Rennes, France. veronique.quemener@univ-rennes1.fr
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Catros-Quemener
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bouet
authors.forename: Noëlle
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Genetet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016207:Cytokines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D018448:Models, Immunological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D019139:Tumor Escape / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D016207:Cytokines