Dendritic Cell-Based Cancer Vaccines: Practical Considerations

Recent advances in our understanding of the immune system and its relationship to cancer have enhanced the therapeutic potential of cancer immunotherapy. The ability to use clinical cell processing to safely and effectively generate novel autologous cell-based therapies has led to a rapid expansion in early phase clinical trials evaluating the potential of cell-based cancer immunotherapies. These studies have demonstrated both feasibility and remarkable low-level toxicity. Despite these advances, clinical efficacy has been limited. This review aims to summarize both success and current limitations of cell-based immunotherapy. Specific issues include optimization and standardization of cell specific products, identification of ideal patients and cancer subtypes as well as methods to comprehensively evaluate the host response and more fully understand underlying biological effectors that are engaged.