This book contains twenty-one chapters written by outstanding scientists in the field of immunobiology and immunotherapy of human melanoma and was made possible by the support of the European Union and the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA. The book reflects the effort of selected speakers to present a comprehensive view of the scientific achievements in their specific field of expertise. The core of the book includes the most recent discoveries in melanoma immunology including cytokines, cell surface antigens and receptors, and antigenic systems that play a critical role in melanoma progression, recognition and interaction with host's immune system. These data are presented and discussed in view of their potential usefulness to implement new strategies of active specific immunotherapy of melanoma in the nearest future. Nevertheless, the dramatic improvement in the knowledge of the immune aspects of human melanoma that took place in the past three years, has already led to new clinical applications. Therefore, the very first results of clinical trials, including gene therapy approaches, for immunotherapy of human melanoma are also reported. This book represents both a unique reading and a comprehensive source of bibliographic material in the field of human melanoma. It is worth to be considered notonly by basic scientists and clinicians who are actively working in the field of melanoma but also by whoever is eager to become acquainted with the newest trends in tumor immunology and immunotherapy.
"Cet ouvrage (...) rassemble les données les plus récentes acquises ou en cours d'étude concernant l'immunologie, à la fois sur le plan fondamental et thérapeutique, du mélanome malin. Cette mise au point est d'actualité pour un cancer dont l'incidence augmente dans le monde entier et qui a fait l'objet de nombreux travaux fondamentaux sur la relation hôte-tumeur et de nombreuses recherches cliniques en immunothérapie". J.-L. Breau Cahiers d'Oncologie, volume 5, no. 8-9, Août/Septembre 1996, p. 248.
