Prospects for immunotherapy

The limitations of conventional methods of treating cancer are such that it is worth devoting considerable resources to the search for new methods. The immunotherapeutic approach is based on theoretical grounds which, despite recent criticism, still appear compelling, and on much sound experimental work. Clinical benefits have so far been meagre but this is not surprising in view of the poor design of many of the trials and the large tumour burden in many of the patients. It is suggested that properly controlled trials, designed in the light of existing knowledge to answer a specific question, are much more likely to be rewarding than empirical attempts to win a therapeutic jackpot.