Stagg John, Smyth Mark J
Cancer Immunology Program, Sir Donald and Lady Trescowthick Laboratories, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Drug News Perspect. 2007 Apr;20(3):155-63. doi: 10.1358/dnp.2007.20.3.1092096.
The identification of spontaneous antitumor immune responses in cancer patients and the demonstration that an intact immune system can prevent against certain forms of malignancies invigorated research efforts in the development of cancer immunotherapies. To date, numerous and diversified approaches are being investigated, thereby providing new means by which to mobilize the cellular and molecular elements of the immune system in order to destroy established cancers. While it is appreciated that tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes play a critical role in successful immunotherapy, it is becoming increasingly apparent that cellular components of both the innate and the adaptive arms of the immune system can control tumor growth. In particular, natural killer (NK) cells are emerging as key players in the cross-talk between innate and adaptive immunity. With the uncovering of the regulatory mechanisms governing NK cell biology, new immunotherapies based on the harnessing of NK cell antitumor activity are now being developed. In this review, we summarize the role of NK cells in the control of tumor growth and discuss potential cancer therapies incorporating NK cell-mediated antitumor activity.
癌症患者体内自发抗肿瘤免疫反应的鉴定，以及完整免疫系统能够预防某些形式恶性肿瘤的证明，激发了癌症免疫疗法开发方面的研究工作。迄今为止，众多不同的方法正在被研究，从而提供了新的手段来调动免疫系统的细胞和分子成分以摧毁已形成的癌症。虽然人们认识到肿瘤特异性细胞毒性T淋巴细胞在成功的免疫治疗中起着关键作用，但越来越明显的是，免疫系统先天性和适应性分支的细胞成分都可以控制肿瘤生长。特别是，自然杀伤（NK）细胞正在成为先天性免疫和适应性免疫之间相互作用的关键参与者。随着调控NK细胞生物学机制的揭示，基于利用NK细胞抗肿瘤活性的新免疫疗法正在被开发。在这篇综述中，我们总结了NK细胞在控制肿瘤生长中的作用，并讨论了纳入NK细胞介导的抗肿瘤活性的潜在癌症治疗方法。
