Dendritic cells: still a promising tool for cancer immunotherapy

Dendritic cells are bone marrow-derived professional antigen-presenting cells that exert critical functions in innate and adaptive immune responses. Depending on their functional maturation status, dendritic cells trigger primary immune responses or promote immunological tolerance. This functional ambivalence has taken dendritic cells into the focus of attention of immunotherapy protocols for both vaccination and tolerance induction. The capacity of dendritic cells to generate anti-tumour immune responses has already been demonstrated, and numerous clinical trials are currently in progress to assess their therapeutic potential. In the present review we will briefly outline the types and effector functions of dendritic cells in the human system, and summarise the present state of anti-tumour immunotherapy protocols, emphasising the most relevant parameters currently evaluated in preclinical and clinical assays.