Leukemic dendritic cells: potential for therapy and insights towards immune escape by leukemic blasts

Dendritic cells (DCs) are a system of potent antigen-presenting cells (APCs) specialized to initiate primary immune responses. DCs are considered important elements in the induction of specific antitumor cytotoxic effectors. At present, because of potential therapeutic implications, the critical role of DCs in cancer patients is under intensive investigation. Interactions between DCs and acute myeloid leukemia cells represent an attractive model for the study of DC physiology. Moreover, DCs can be a valuable therapeutic tool for the adjuvant treatment of leukemic patients. However, DC subsets in vivo may also be affected by leukemogenesis and may contribute to the escape of leukemia from immune control. The aim of this review is to shed further light on this paradoxical picture where the line between immune tolerance and immune defense is narrow.