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Cellular immunotherapy: a clinical state-of-the-art of a new paradigm for cancer treatment

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Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy has opened a new chapter in Medical Oncology. Many novel therapies are under clinical testing and some have already been approved and implemented in cancer treatment protocols. In particular, cellular immunotherapies take advantage of the antitumor capabilities of the immune system. From dendritic cell-based vaccines to treatments centered on genetically engineered T cells, this form of personalized cancer therapy has taken the field by storm. They commonly share the ex vivo genetic modification of the patient’s immune cells to generate or induce tumor antigen-specific immune responses. The latest clinical trials and translational research have shed light on its clinical effectiveness as well as on the mechanisms behind targeting specific antigens or unique tumor alterations. This review gives an overview of the clinical developments in immune cell-based technologies predominantly for solid tumors and on how the latest discoveries are being incorporated within the standard of care.

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  1. Á. Rodríguez Pérez and D. Campillo-Davo contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Oncology-CELLEX, University of Barcelona, 08035, Barcelona, Spain

    Á. Rodríguez Pérez

  2. Medical Oncology Department, University Hospital “Fundación Jiménez Díaz”, Autonomous University of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Á. Rodríguez Pérez

  3. Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    D. Campillo-Davo & V. F. I. Van Tendeloo

  4. Department of Immunology, Hospital Clinic, August Pi I Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Carrer Villarroel, 170. 08036, Barcelona, Spain

    D. Benítez-Ribas

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  1. Á. Rodríguez Pérez
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Rodríguez Pérez, Á., Campillo-Davo, D., Van Tendeloo, V.F.I. et al. Cellular immunotherapy: a clinical state-of-the-art of a new paradigm for cancer treatment. Clin Transl Oncol 22, 1923–1937 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-020-02344-4

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