Immunotherapy for malignant melanoma – Tracing Ariadne’s thread through the labyrinth

Abstract A working group (FEBIM) within the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer undertook extensive studies on the possible association of infectious diseases and the risk of malignant melanoma. These studies provided evidence that several infectious diseases and also some vac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of cancer (1990) 2009-09, Vol.45 (13), p.2266-2273
Main Authors: Grange, John M, Krone, Bernd, Stanford, John L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actinomycetales
Biological and medical sciences
Cancer Vaccines - immunology
Cancer Vaccines - therapeutic use
Endogenous retrovirus
Evidence-Based Medicine
Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine
Humans
Immune surveillance
Immune tolerance
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy - methods
Medical sciences
Melanoma
Melanoma - immunology
Melanoma - therapy
Mycobacterium bovis
Mycobacterium vaccae
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Regulatory T cells
Skin Neoplasms - immunology
Skin Neoplasms - therapy
Toll-like receptors
Tumors
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Summary:Abstract A working group (FEBIM) within the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer undertook extensive studies on the possible association of infectious diseases and the risk of malignant melanoma. These studies provided evidence that several infectious diseases and also some vaccines including the anti-tuberculosis vaccine, BCG, derived from Mycobacterium bovis , confer a significant level of protection against this form of cancer. In recent years, the importance of immunoregulatory networks in the establishment of tolerance to tumour antigens and the key role of the innate immune system in the development of such networks have been recognised. The molecular patterns of micro-organisms activate pattern recognition receptors on antigen presenting cells and determine the qualitative nature of the ensuing immune response. Bacteria in the actinomycetales family, notably members of the genus Mycobacterium , exhibit particularly powerful adjuvant activity and profoundly affect underlying patterns of immune reactivity. In particular, there is growing evidence that a heat-killed preparation of a strain of Mycobacterium vaccae is able to down-regulate patterns of immune reactivity that favour the tumour and to induce those that lead to anti-cancer immune responses. The results of preliminary clinical observations with melanoma patients, and published studies on other cancers, point to the need for more formal clinical trials.
ISSN:0959-8049
1879-0852
DOI:10.1016/j.ejca.2009.05.002