Cancer immunotherapy: simply cell biology?

There is a clear need for improved cancer therapy and survival rates. Effective immunotherapy would be the treatment modality of choice from several viewpoints, and dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy is emerging as the most promising approach to cancer immunotherapy. However, the plethora of approaches to DC-based cancer therapy now threatens to impede the development of an effective immunotherapy regime, as competing egos and commercial interests masquerade as scientific rigour. Here, I argue that the current controversies regarding the numerous approaches reflect the paucity of our immunological understanding, and present a simple cell biological analysis that defines the rationale for the development of effective cancer immunotherapy.