title: Natural killer cells and malignant haemopathies: a model for the interaction of cancer with innate immunity.
abstract: Despite recent progress in the therapeutic approach of malignant haemopathies, their prognoses remain frequently poor. Immunotherapy offers an alternative of great interest in this context but defect or abnormal expression of human leukocyte antigens (HLA), frequently observed in cancer cells, limits its efficiency. Natural killer (NK) cells, which are able to kill target cells in a HLA-independent way, represent a novel tool in the treatment of haematological malignancies. Abnormal NK cytolytic function is observed in all the haematological malignancies studied, such as acute leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndromes or chronic myeloid/lymphoid leukaemia. Several mechanisms are involved in the alterations of NK cytotoxicity: decreased expression of activating receptors, increased expression of inhibitory receptors or defective expression of NK ligands on target cells. Further studies are needed to identify how each type of haematological malignancy escapes from the innate immune response. Attempts to increase the expression of activating receptors, to counteract inhibitory receptors expression, or to increase NK cell cytotoxic capacities could overcome tumour escape from innate immunity. These therapies are based on monoclonal antibodies or culture of NK cells in presence of cytokines or dendritic cells. Moreover, many novel drugs used in haematological malignancies [tyrosine kinase inhibitors, IMIDs(®), proteasome inhibitors, demethylating agents, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis), histamine dihydrochloride] display interesting immunomodulatory properties that affect NK cells. These data suggest that combined modalities associating cytotoxic drugs with innate immunity modulators may represent a major breakthrough in tumour eradication.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biochimie et de Biologie Moléculaire, Hôpital Nord, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Le Treut
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boehrer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Knoblauch
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Imbert
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Olive
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Costello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects; D056747:Immunomodulation; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000637:transplantation; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D019139:Tumor Escape / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents