ABSTRACT
Introduction The interaction between the immune system and malignancies has recently received much attention, leading to progress in immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer. Monoclonal antibodies and cytokines such as interferon-α (IFN-α) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) are now routinely used in the clinic for immunotherapy of cancers, and several tumor vaccines are in late stages of clinical development. Furthermore, in high-dose chemotherapy supported by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, a ‘graft-versus-tumor’ effect mediated by allogeneic T cells in the stem cell graft is believed to play a major therapeutic role. It is therefore imperative for those involved in cancer treatment to appreciate the critical interplay between the components of the immune system and malignant cells since the antitumor immunity of the patient is intimately linked to disease prognosis.
