Antitumour Lymphocyte Responses

Despite the considerable achievements in immunology during the past two decades, control of tumour development by effective immunotherapy is still not possible. This situation reflects the complexity of events that occur in response to tumour growth. Other chapters in this book outline the important advances made in the study of macrophage function and the developments in monoclonal antibody production against tumour-associated antigens. In this chapter the role of the lymphocyte in combating tumour development and metastatic spread is considered. Of importance, however, is the understanding that lymphocyte function is influenced by other cell types, hormones, and products released by tumour cells and that much of our current knowledge has stemmed from in vitro experimentation. Caution must be exercised when interpreting the results of laboratory tests and relating these to their in vivo relevance, since it is not possible to mimic the conditions that the in vivo environment imposes on lymphocyte activity.