Dendritic cell vaccine strategies for renal cell carcinoma.
Dendritic cell (DC) vaccines are an important experimental immunotherapy for renal cell carcinomas. DC vaccines have proven safe, but only minimal clinical efficacy has been observed to date. DC vaccine strategies reflect the continually evolving understanding of DC biology. The use of mature DCs is particularly important to avoid the induction of regulatory T cells. Better defined sources of immunizing antigens and more efficient antigen-loading will contribute to DC vaccines of better quality. Improved clinical efficacy may also be achieved using DCs that secrete biologically active IL-12, which fosters innate immunity and polarizes T helper type 1 responses that contribute to optimal antitumor immunity. Furthermore, combination therapies that treat systemic immune suppression will be crucial for obtaining improved clinical responses to DC vaccines in patients with advanced disease.
Schendel
Dolores J
DJ
GSF National Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute of Molecular Immunology and the Clinical Cooperation Group Immune Monitoring, Marchioninistrasse 25, 81377 Munich, Germany. schendel@gsf.de
D000818:Animals; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends
D019496:Cancer Vaccines