Cancer Immune Therapy Edited by G. Stuhler and P. Walden ...

VI Preface
Recent years have seen a great increase of our knowledge about tumor antigenicity
and the mechanisms of antitumor immune responses, and much of this new knowledge
has been translated into new cancer immune therapies and clinical trials. While
some of the trials yielded promising results that were hailed to herald future breakthroughs,
others have disappointed. With all the progress made, and the many interesting
and important clinical results, there is still no effective cancer immune therapy
with a predictable therapeutic outcome, and there are still many questions to be
answered in the development of such therapies. How should effective immune
therapies of cancer be designed? What are the conditions and what are the best tools
for successful therapeutic intervention? Which strategy best suits a particular cancer
and the state of the disease in a particular patient? Are there parameters that would
allow for early evaluation of the therapeutic effects to direct disease management
and therapeutic intervention? Are preventive vaccinations possible? These are only
some of the strategic questions addressed in the field.
This volume reviews our current understanding of tumor immunology with special
emphasis on the inter-relationship of the tumor and immune system, and cancer immune
therapy. The different chapters dissect the antigenicity of tumors, the instruments
utilized by the immune system to battle these diseases and the reasons for
their failure, such as T cell anergy and immune evasion mechanisms from the tumor's
side. With this background, current therapeutic strategies are reviewed and
critically evaluated to identify novel approaches and future directions in the development
of new cancer immune therapies.
Peter Walden
Department of Dermatology
Charit , Humboldt University Medical School
Berlin
Germany
Gernot Stuhler
Department of Hematology and Oncology
Eberhard-Karls University Tçbingen
Tçbingen
Germany