[Immunity against cancer--a critical review of recent progress--]

Many attempts in cancer immunotherapy have been made on the basis of advanced basic immunology. In regard to non-specific adjuvant immunotherapy, various kinds of microorganisms and mushrooms and their preparations have been used for the treatment of malignant diseases, however, a well-controlled randomized trial is required for the evaluation of clinical effectiveness. Among these immunotherapeutics, the experimental and clinical studies on Nocardia cell wall skeleton were described. Tumor immunotherapy using low molecular compounds, such as derivatives of muramylpeptides, bestatin and others, were also reviewed. Recent studies supported by biotechnology have promoted extensively the application of monoclonal antibodies against tumor cells and monoclonal lymphokines derived from T lymphocytes. Prospective review on these monoclonal preparations was described.