[Cell therapy with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes; a therapeutic alternative for malignant melanoma and soon also other types of cancer].

Abstract

Therapy for advanced cutaneous melanoma with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) has shown promising clinical results for 35 years. Owing to advanced production and treatment methods, TIL therapy has only been accessible in a few centers in Europe and the USA. Recently, following a company phase 2 trial and an academic Phase III trial with superior response rate compared to patients treated with the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) ipilimumab, TIL therapy gained FDA approval. Several studies are now ongoing where patients with other tumor diagnoses such as cervical cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer are recruited, some of which are testing combinations with ICI. At Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, an academic study combining TIL with a dendritic cell tumor vaccine is ongoing. At Sahlgrenska Academy a TIL study on metastatic uveal melanoma has started. In this review we summarize the recent developments in TIL therapy and provide a discussion about its future.