Immunological strategies to fight skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the most common human cancer, and is currently considered a global epidemic. Recently, there has been a growing interest in immunomodulators, or up-regulators of the immune response, for the treatment and cure of various forms of skin cancer, including melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, cutaneous extramammary Paget's disease, and vulvar intraepithelial carcinoma neoplasia. Strategies to augment the host's immune response against cancer cells and/or cancer cell antigenicity have been investigated, including recombinant cytokines, immunomodulators, dendritic cell immunization, tumor antigen vaccination, T-cell-based immunotherapy, and gene therapy. Although the current standard of care for most of these cancers includes Mohs micrographic surgery, curettage, and cryo-, laser-, or radiotherapy, immunomodulators are becoming essential in the treatment of patients who are poor surgical candidates and/or require noninvasive therapy.
Berman
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Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, USA.
Perez
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Zell
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D000634:Aminoquinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D000077271:Imiquimod; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology
D000634:Aminoquinolines; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D007372:Interferons; D000077271:Imiquimod