Dendritic Cells and T Cells in Immunotherapy

November 2010 | Volume 9 | Issue 11 | Original Article | 1383 | Copyright © November 2010


David W. O’Neill MD

Abstract
Autologous cellular immunotherapies have been used experimentally in humans to treat many types of cancer. These therapies are divided into two principal types: active cellular immunotherapies that rely on autologous dendritic cells or other antigen presenting cells; and adoptive T-cell therapies, in which large numbers of antigen-specific T lymphocytes are propagated ex vivo and then infused back into the patient. With the FDA approval of the antigen presenting cell vaccine sipuleucel-T for prostate cancer, active immunization has become an accepted approach for the treatment of established cancer.