CELL-MEDIATED ANTITUMOR IMMUNITY AND IMPL ICATIONS FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY

Recent discoveries in molecular and cellular immunology on the present ation of antigens and the activation of lymphocytes have opened the wa y to the development of new treatment strategies involving vaccination or cell-based treatment for patients suffering from cancers. Most of these treatments rely on identifying the antigens associated with tumo urs and the development of a cell-mediated immune response that involv es specific anti-tumour T lymphocytes. However, tumour cells in cancer patients develop many escape systems associated with a lack of effect ors involved in the control of cancer cells. It is therefore important to understand the mechanisms underlying these changes in order to dev elop appropriated immune-based treatments.