Immunotherapy of metastasis.

This article provides a basic overview of tumor immunology vaccines, current vaccine trials, and future directions of vaccine strategies for the treatment of metastatic cancers. As dendritic cells are the most potent antigen-presenting cell and central to the regulation, maturation, and maintenance of a cellular immune response to cancer, these cells may be crucial to tumor vaccine strategies. Peptide-based strategies and monoclonal antibodies also have been used with some success in developing a tumor-specific response. Methods promoting a more effective immune response and maintaining T-cell survival through administration of adjuvant cytokines, synthetically modified antigens, and various other immunoadjuvants are discussed.