Recent Developments in Cell-based Immune Therapy for Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a common and aggressive tumor of early childhood. To date, treatment with chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy has resulted in suboptimal outcomes in those with advanced disease. Immune-based treatments hold promise for patients with recurrent or advanced NB. Here, recent preclinical studies and early stage (phase I) clinical trials using cellular therapeutic approaches for NB are reviewed, including studies of natural killer cells, γδ T cells, chimeric receptor expressing T cells, dendritic cells, and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant. This work was supported in part by grants from the Children’s Cancer Research Fund and the Minnesota Medical Foundation.