Re-Emergence of Dendritic Cell Vaccines for Cancer Treatment

PMID: 29458962
Journal: Trends in cancer (volume: 4, issue: 2, Trends Cancer 2018 02;4(2):119-137)
Published: 2018-02-01

Authors:
Saxena M, Bhardwaj N

ABSTRACT

Dendritic cells (DCs) are essential in immunity owing to their role in activating T cells, thereby promoting antitumor responses. Tumor cells, however, hijack the immune system, causing T cell exhaustion and DC dysfunction. Tumor-induced T cell exhaustion may be reversed through immune checkpoint blockade (ICB); however, this treatment fails to show clinical benefit in many patients. While ICB serves to reverse T cell exhaustion, DCs are still necessary to prime, activate, and direct the T cells to target tumor cells. In this review we provide a brief overview of DC function, describe mechanisms by which DC functions are disrupted by the tumor microenvironment, and highlight recent developments in DC cancer vaccines.