Immunobiology of neuroblastoma

Abstract

Neuroblastoma remains the solid tumor of childhood with the most dismal prognosis. A more favorable survival could be expected for a number of reasons, especially if potential host anti-tumor immune activity could be augmented. On the one hand, the incidence of spontaneous regression of neuroblastoma might in part be explained by an immune mechanism; on the other, most neuroblastomas present with very large tumor burdens and the tumor expresses a paucity of self-antigens, both characteristics that hinder any effective antitumor activity. Based on historical data and today's version of host immune activity, this paper summarizes the current knowledge on both human and murine neuroblastoma and mechanisms of immunologic control.