Archivum immunologiae et therapiae experimentalis
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The establishment of cancer in a host involves at least two major events: the escape of tumor cells from normal growth control and their escape from immunological recognition. Because of this nature of their development, cancer cells seem to be predominatly poorly immunogenic. In contrast to the previous idea that cancer cells express no recognizable antigens, recent progress in the identification and characterization of tumor antigens, as well as the expansion of knowledge on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of antigen recognition by the immune system, have raised the possibility of using immunotherapy to treat certain tumors. ⋯ Crucial to this approach has been the ability to transfer into normal or neoplastic cells genes known to increase the immunogenicity of cells, which subsequently can be used to augment immune reactions in tumor-bearing mice or cancer patients. While there has been success in inducing antitumor immunity in some tumor models, there are difficulties and limitations in the application of these gene-modified tumor cells for the treatment of preexisting tumors. In this review, recent progress in cancer immunogene therapy is discussed.