[Monoclonal antibodies and mediators--immunologic tumor therapy]

Immunological tumor therapy includes the use of interferons, interleukins, tumor necrosis factor, and monoclonal antibodies. Clinical tests performed on about 20 types of solid tumors and 10 types of leukemias and lymphomas showed rather limited success. In many cases the side effects are considerable, resulting in the interruption or cessation of therapy. Improvements can be achieved by gene technology. Only the interferons have been approved as official drugs to treat cancer.