Melanoma has been widely studied as a target for immunotherapy because it has been considered more susceptible to immune attack than other tumors and because of the relative ease with which melanoma cells can be adapted to in vitro culture. The availability of hundreds of melanoma cell lines for study has led to the identification of tumor antigens and the development of monoclonal antibodies and T cells against these antigens, revolutionizing the understanding of how the immune system sees and reacts to cancer. This article reviews the recent clinical results of trials exploring different immunotherapy strategies against melanoma.
