Immunotherapy of malignancy in humans. Current status

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology

Background:

• A strong correlation exists between a patient's immune status and human cancer progression.
• Immunotherapy has been successfully established as a cancer treatment in animal models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of immunotherapy as an adjunctive cancer treatment in human clinical and laboratory studies.
• To identify current effective immunotherapy strategies for specific human cancers.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical and laboratory studies on cancer immunotherapy.
• Analysis of treatment outcomes for intralesional BCG vaccine and topical 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene.

Main Results:

• Immunotherapy appears most effective when used alongside treatments that reduce tumor burden.
• Intralesional BCG vaccine injections are highly effective in immunocompetent individuals with intradermal metastases.
• Topical 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene is a preferred treatment for select patients with squamous or basal cell carcinoma.

Conclusions:

• Immunotherapy represents a viable adjunctive approach for managing human cancers.
• Specific immunotherapy methods demonstrate significant efficacy in targeted patient populations and cancer types.