New strategies for enhancing the immunogenicity of tumors.

When a cancer grows in an individual, the immune system has either failed to recognize its antigens or failed to effectively respond. Increasing evidence for the existence of tumor antigens that are recognized by T cells provides a direct rationale for the design of novel strategies to either enhance tumor immunogenicity by genetic modification or utilize recombinant or peptide vaccines in cases where the relevant tumor antigens have been specifically identified.