Natural killer cells: a review of biology, therapeutic potential and challenges in treatment of solid tumors

Natural killer (NK) cells lead immune surveillance against cancer and early elimination of small tumors. Owing to their ability to engage tumor targets without the need of specific antigen, the therapeutic potential of NK cells has been extensively explored in hematological malignancies. In solid tu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Future oncology (London, England) England), 2019-09, Vol.15 (26), p.3053-3069
Main Authors: Choucair, Khalil, Duff, Joseph R, Cassidy, Christine S, Albrethsen, Mary T, Kelso, Jesse D, Lenhard, Amanda, Staats, Hannah, Patel, Rayna, Brunicardi, F Charles, Dworkin, Lance, Nemunaitis, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adoptive transfer
Animals
Antigens
Apoptosis
Biology
Cancer
cancer stem cells
CAR-NK
Chemokines
clinical trials
Cytokines
Cytotoxicity
Hematology
Humans
immune escape
immune surveillance
Immune system
Immunologic Surveillance
Immunology
Immunotherapy, Adoptive
Killer Cells, Natural - immunology
Killer Cells, Natural - metabolism
Ligands
Lymphatic system
Medical prognosis
Metastasis
Neoplasms - etiology
Neoplasms - metabolism
Neoplasms - therapy
Neoplastic Stem Cells - metabolism
NK cells
receptor signaling modulation
Receptors, KIR - metabolism
Signal Transduction
solid tumors
Tumor Escape - genetics
Tumor Escape - immunology
Tumors
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Summary:Natural killer (NK) cells lead immune surveillance against cancer and early elimination of small tumors. Owing to their ability to engage tumor targets without the need of specific antigen, the therapeutic potential of NK cells has been extensively explored in hematological malignancies. In solid tumors, however, their role in the clinical arena remains poorly exploited despite a broad accumulation of preclinical data. In this article, we review our current knowledge of NK cells’ biology, and highlight the challenges facing NK cell antitumor strategies in solid tumors. We further summarize the abundant preclinical attempts at overcoming these challenges, present past and ongoing clinical trial data and finally discuss the potential impact of novel insights on the development of NK cell-based therapies.
ISSN:1479-6694
1744-8301
DOI:10.2217/fon-2019-0116