Improving T cell therapy for cancer

Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2006 Mar;6(3):215-29. doi: 10.1517/14712598.6.3.215.

Abstract

Adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells has been most effective in treating cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated lymphoproliferative disease (LPD). Both of these diseases develop only during periods of acute immune suppression, and both involve highly immunogenic infected cells, and thus respond well to T cell therapies. In contrast, tumours that develop in the presence of a competent immune system evolve complex immune evasion strategies to avoid and subvert T cell-mediated killing. Therefore, even T cells that display potent cytotoxic activity against tumour cells in vitro may not be effective in vivo without altering the tumour:T cell balance in favour of the T cell. This review discusses several new areas of research aimed at improving adoptive T cell therapy for the treatment of cancer, including the genetic modification of antigen-specific T cells to allow them to perform better in vivo, and conditioning the host to improve in vivo expansion and function of transferred cells.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / methods*
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / trends*
  • Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Neoplasms / therapy*
  • T-Lymphocytes / transplantation*
  • T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / transplantation