Adoptive immunotherapy via CD4+ versus CD8+ T cells

The goal of cancer immunotherapy is to induce specific and durable antitumor immunity. Adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) has garnered wide interest, particularly in regard to strategies to improve T cell efficacy in trials. There are many types of T cells (and subsets) which can be selected for use in ACT. CD4+ T cells are critical for the regulation, activation and aid of host defense mechanisms and, importantly, for enhancing the function of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells. To date, much research in cancer immunotherapy has focused on CD8+ T cells, in melanoma and other cancers. Both CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells have been evaluated as ACT in mice and humans, and both are effective at eliciting antitumor responses. IL-17 producing CD4+ T cells are a new subset of CD4+ T cells to be evaluated in ACT models. This review discusses the benefits of adoptive immunotherapy mediated by CD8+ and CD4+ cells. It also discusses the various type of T cells, source of T cells, and ex vivo cytokine growth factors for augmenting clinical efficacy of ACT.