Targeted Cancer Immune Therapy

Stimulation of the immune system’s ability to control and destroy tumors cont- ues to be the goal of cancer immune therapy; but the scope has rapidly expanded; approaches are constantly updated; new molecules are continually introduced; and immune mechanisms are becoming better understood. This book has no intention of covering every aspect of immune therapy but rather focuses on the novelty of cancer immune therapy in an attempt to give readers an opportunity to absorb the new aspects of immune therapy from a single source. In this regard, three areas were selected: cytokine immune therapy, cell-based immune therapy, and targeted immune therapy. In each of these three sections, only the novel aspects of immune therapy were described instead of attempting to cover any historical achievement. In the first section, Cytokine Immune Therapy, the IL12 family, IL18, IL21, IL24, IL28, and IL29 were emphasized in regard to the an- tumor function and application in treating tumors. Most of these selected cyt- ines were discovered in last 10 years. In the second section, Cell-based Immune Therapy, the focus was engineering potent immune regulatory or effector cells such as dendritic cells, T cells, and stem cells. Cell engineering design is primarily based on the increased understanding of the interaction of tumor antigen-presenting cells, antigen- specific effector cells, and the tumor microenvironment.

Cancer has surpassed heart disease as the number one killer in the world, and standard cancer therapy such as radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery may have reached its plateau in further improving the outcome of treated patients. Biological therapies combined with other treatment approaches may be the next X-factor to greatly extend survival time and improve patients’ quality of life. One of the most developed fields in biological therapy is immune therapy, which has stemmed into many branches due to its significance and the tremendous effort by a large population of scientists. Tumor-targeted antibody therapy has been successfully used for treating some types of tumors, and the first tumor vaccine against ovarian cancer has been developed for clinical application.

Targeted Cancer Immune Therapy provides comprehensive coverage of novel immune therapeutic approaches, including cytokine therapy, engineered cell therapy, and the application of tumor-targeted antibodies for generating tumor-specific cell therapy, TLR ligand therapy, and cytokine therapy. In the section "Cytokine Immune Therapy," the authors review relatively new cytokine family members, such as the IL12 family, IL18, IL21, IL24, IL28, and IL29, in regard to the anti-tumor function and application in treating tumors. The strategy for targeting and retaining cytokines in the tumor microenvironment is also reviewed. The section "Cell-based Immune Therapy" focuses on reviewing "state of the art" approaches for engineering potent immune regulatory or effector cells, such as dendritic cells, T cells, and stem cells, for tumor targeting and initiation of tumor specific immune response. In the section "Targeted Immune Therapy," the authors rearticulate antibody therapy for boosting immune response, which includes immunocytokines, "T-body," and tumor targeted CpG ODN. Some or all of these innovative approaches may ultimately become effective future immune therapies for treating malignancy.