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Antitumor immunotherapy; professional antigen-presenting cells and leukaemia Volume 7, issue 3, Mai - Juin 2001

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Authors
Unité d'immunologie des tumeurs, institut Paoli-Calmettes, université de la Méditerranée, 232, boulevard Sainte-Marguerite, 13009 Marseille.

Despite the use of intensive chemotherapy, many patients still relapse and die from leukaemia. The "graft-versus-leukaemia" effect observed in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation supports the possibility of an immune control of leukaemia. Nonetheless, leukemia cells are usually unable to elicit an efficient response by autologous immune effectors. Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are probably the central mediators of antitumor immunity, but their function is under the control of dendritic cells. The possibility to obtain dendritic cells in sufficient quantities to allow manipulation of the immune system could be an interesting way to induce a potent autologous anti-leukemia immune response.