Dr Svane talks to ecancertv at the 1st Immunotherapy of Cancer Conference ( ITOC ) in Munich about adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT) with tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). This is a personalised treatment for cancer whereby T-cells from a patient's tumour are taken out of the body, activated, multiplied, and put back in to tackle the tumour. 

This treatment has achieved impressive clinical results in several single institution phase I/II clinical trials performed outside Europe, and holds the promise to enter the mainstream of standard melanoma care in the near future.

However, although transient, the toxicities associated with high-dose IL-2 classically administered together with TILs are severe and recent data have questioned its use.

Despite its clinical efficacy, with impressive response rates and several long surviving completely responding patients, the implementation of TIL based ACT into current practice has been severely hampered by the technical complexity of cell production, the toxicity profile demanding treatment at specialized cancer centres, and lack of investment from the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr Svane suggests that the next step should be a pivotal phase III trial in melanoma; required for regulatory approval. Further improvement of the therapy could also be pursued through combination treatment.