Dendritic cell immunotherapy for melanoma

Dendritic cells (DC) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells that initiate T cell-mediated immune responses against cancer. It has been almost a decade since the first trial of DC-based cancer immunotherapy was published. Despite the many clinical trials conducted since, few solid conclusions have been reached, and no specific-immunotherapy has routinely demonstrated meaningful anti-tumour responses. Clinical-grade DC can be obtained from three distinct cell populations in the blood - monocytes, CD34(+) progenitors or direct isolation of circulating blood DC. This review discusses the science behind DC-based cancer immunotherapy, with a particular emphasis on the use of monocyte-derived DC in melanoma clinical trials, and the various potential avenues for improvement of patient clinical response rates.