Immunology and immunotherapy of human malignant melanoma

Abstract

One theoretically attractive approach to the treatment of melanoma, which has captivated the imagination of physicians since the turn of the century, is to harness the unique and powerful recognition properties of the immune system to identify and destroy melanoma cells selectively wherever they may be. This review summarizes the complex role of the immune system in tumor growth, some of the immunotherapeutic approaches developed to treat human melanoma, and progress in the development of melanoma tumor antigen vaccines.