It covers all aspects of DC generation, function, survival and antitumor activity in the tumor environment both in vivo and in experimental in vitro systems. The goal in focusing on a spectrum of issues related to DC in cancer is to provide an extensive and expansive review rather than a collection of independent analyses from different authors.
Specific topics to be covered include analysis of DC behavior in the tumor microenvironment, including endogenous and exogenous DC, multiple DC populations, molecular pathways responsible for DC dysfunction, tumor-derived factors altering DC polarization and activation, mechanisms of DC alterations, and the role of DC in tumor escape from immune recognition and elimination. Furthermore, additional chapters provide extensive analysis of the consequences of cancer therapy on the DC system and how aging impacts DC function in the tumor microenvironment. Finally, chapters are included examining strengths and pitfalls of current methodologies for generating DC from cancer patients for therapeutic purposes and on the role of tumor-mediated modulation of the DC system in cancer immunotherapy.
ALTERATIONS OF THE DENDRITIC CELL SYSTEM IN CANCER.- The Central Role of Dendritic Cells in Immunity.- Dendritic Cells in Cancer: Emergenceof the Discipline.- Tumor-Infiltrating Dendritic Cells: The Pathologists Perspective.- Functional Defects of Dendritic Cells in Cancer.- General Properties of Dendritic Cell Populations in Cancer.- Elimination of Dendritic Cells in Cancer.- Mechanisms of Dendritic Cell Dysfunction in Cancer.- Tumor-Derived Factors Responsible for Dendritic Cell Dysfunction.- Tumor-Derived Exosomes as Dendritic Cell Modulators.- Signaling Pathways Mediating Dendritic Cell Dysfunction in Cancer.- A Role for STAT3 in Dendritic Cell Regulation by Tumor-Derived Factors.- Tumor-Associated Inflammation and Impact on Dendritic Cell Function.- Changes in Dendritic Cells in Cancer and Aging.- Stress, Immunity and Dendritic Cells in Cancer.- Cancer Therapy and Dendritic Cell Immunomodulation.- Role of Dendritic Cells in Tumor Escape.- Role of IDO in Dendritic Cell Differentiation and Function in Cancer.- Dendritic Cells: From Inducers of Specific T-Cell Responses to Promoters of Angiogenesis.- Protumorigenic Function of Dendritic Cells.- Dendritic Cell Maturation Versus Polarization in Tumor Escape.- Dendritic Cells in Cancer: Clinical Aspects.- Trafficking of Dendritic Cells in the Tumor Environment.- Dendritic Cells in Tumor-Draining Lymph Nodes.- Dendritic Cell Vaccines in Cancer: Obstaclesto Overcome.- How Best to Generate Dendritic Cells from Patients with Cancer and How Best to Use them for Immunotherapeutic Purposes.- Genetically Modified Dendritic Cells in Cancer Immunotherapy.- Dendritic Cell Tumors.- Future Directions in Dendritic Cell Research in Cancer.
