ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Extensive efforts have been made in the development of antigen-specifi c immune therapies for cancer in hopes of developing targeted and sustained treatments to eliminate metastatic disease without “collateral” damage to normal tissues. This chapter will examine some of the biological aspects behind the interplay between the immune system and the tumor during tumorigenesis and tumor progression, to shed light on some of the potential reasons because of which antigen-specifi c therapies haven’t necessarily translated clinically into the “magic bullet” that many thought they would be. We will also discuss the potential advantages of antigennonspecifi c therapies and how a rational combination of the two, based on their biology, may lead to the improvement of clinical immunotherapeutic responses.
