http://www.cancerresearch.org/Resources.aspx?id=572#Intro

Cancer and the Immune System: The Vital Connection

 

Oki K. Dzivenu, D.Phil., and Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, Ph.D.
Copyright © Cancer Research Institute 2003

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
An Enigma Called Cancer
The oncogene: A Key Factor in Development of Cancer
The Human Defense System
The Concept of an Innate Defense Network
The Adaptive Defense System
Brian Pricked His Thumb and His Immune System Jumped Into Action
The Humoral Immune Response
The Cellular Immune Response
The Origins of Immunotherapy
Advances in Human Tumor Immunotherapy
Specific Immunotherapy I: Adoptive Transfer
Specific Immunotherapy II: Vaccination
The Advantages of Cancer Immunotherapy
Techniques Behind the Advances in Tumor Immunotherapy
Epilogue and Acknowledgements
Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

The Cancer Research Institute was established in 1953 to foster the field of cancer immunology, which is rooted in the notion that the body’s immune system can be mobilized against cancer. From our inception, we have championed the development of new and effective strategies based on the immune system to complement traditional methods of cancer treatment, such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. We are a non-profit intermediary organization that provides funding for individual and collaborative research projects across the country and throughout the world. Our funding strategy is aimed at providing support to investigators throughout various career development stages encompassing a broad spectrum of research such as basic, preclinical, and clinical sciences.

Today, we are more committed than ever to our long-term goal of fostering cancer immunology. We recognize that further advancement in the field depends on increased public understanding of the enormous power of the immune system and its connection to cancer. To help build that critical understanding, we have prepared this guide, which answers a number of commonly asked questions about cancer, the immune system, and the latest trends in immunotherapy. In the first chapter, the reader is introduced to the concept of cancer as the defining term for a panoply of diseases underpinned by two common features. This chapter ends with an introduction to the human immune system and how its normal function and cancer prevention are inextricably linked. We move on to chapter 2 for a discussion of the immune system thus setting the stage for the introduction of immunotherapy in chapter 3. The next three chapters (4—6) constitute a tour de force into almost every form of currently available immunotherapeutic regimens and how they are faring in worldwide clinical trials. The seventh chapter is full of hope: reminding us of how far we have come and how much further we must travel on this exhilarating but arduous journey of battling cancer. The remainder of the book provides a brief look at the techniques behind the progress we have made in this field of biomedical science. We hope that you will find it enlightening.