The immunotherapy for malignant glioma faces unique difficult, due to some anatomical and immunological characteristics including the existence of blood brain barrier, the absence of lymphatic tissues and dendritic cells (DCs) in the central nervous system (CNS) parenchyma, and the presence of an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Therefore, immunotherapeutic approaches will not be beneficial unless the compromised immune status in malignant glioma patients is overcome. DC-based immunotherapy, vaccinating cancer patients with DCs pulsed with various tumor antigens, is one of the most promising immunotherapeutic approaches for treatment of malignant glioma because it seems able to overcome, at least partially, the immunosuppressive state associated with primary malignancies. The preparation of DCs, choice of antigen, and route and schedule of administration are improving and optimizing with rapid development of molecular biology and gene engineering technology. DC vaccination in humans, after a number of pre-clinical models and clinical trials, would increase the clinical benefits for malignant glioma immunotherapy.
中枢神经系统存在血脑屏障且缺乏淋巴组织和树突细胞, 加之肿瘤周围建立的免疫抑制微环境, 都使神经系统恶性胶质瘤的免疫治疗面临许多特殊的困难。 以树突细胞为基础的免疫治疗是指树突细胞肿瘤疫苗的接种治疗, 它可以部分或全部改善胶质瘤患者神经系统的免疫状况, 因此可以成为有效的治疗方法。 随着分子生物学和基因工程技术的发展, 树突细胞肿瘤疫苗的制备、 优化和应用技术得到了很大提高, 为其未来临床应用奠定了良好的基础。