title: Antibody, T-cell and dendritic cell immunotherapy for malignant brain tumors.
abstract: Modest improvement in brain tumor patient survival has been achieved through advances in surgical, adjuvant radiation and chemotherapeutic strategies. However, these traditional approaches have been unsuccessful in permanently controlling these aggressive tumors, with recurrence being quite common. Hence, there is a need for novel therapeutic approaches that specifically target the molecularly diverse brain tumor cell population. The ability of the immune system to recognize altered tumor cells while avoiding surrounding normal cells offers an enormous advantage over the nonspecific nature of the conventional treatment schemes. Therefore, immunotherapy represents a promising approach that may supplement the standard therapies in eliminating the residual brain tumor cells. This review summarizes different immunotherapeutic approaches currently being tested for malignant brain tumor treatment.
authors.affiliation: Duke University Medical Center, Department of Pathology, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Vidyalakshmi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chandramohan
authors.forename: Duane A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.forename: Darell D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Bigner
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D000922:Immunotoxins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016499:Radioimmunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000922:Immunotoxins; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C410723:epidermal growth factor receptor VIII; D066246:ErbB Receptors