Tumor immunotherapeutic systems

The active immunotherapeutic approach is specific and based on the premise that tumor antigens are immunogenic and the host is sufficientiy immunocompetent to mount an effective immune response to an autologous tumor. Theoretically, a weak or suppressed host immune system that had allowed the formation of a tumor may be overridden by active immunization or immunostimulation. In practice, vaccines composed of so-called autologous tumor extracts have been used to treat patients with malignant melanoma (73), and purified melanoma tumor-associated antigens have been used to ehcit antibody responses in melanoma patients (74). 

Due to the dual effects of NO on the immune system immunotherapeutic approaches should be designed to achieve a positive net effect of NO, either using NO donors or inhibitors, depending on the type of the tumor as well as the type of the immunotherapy. 

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