Biological response modifiers: realizing their potential in cancer therapeutics

The therapeutic activity of biological response modifiers has only recently been observed in cancer patients although some have in fact been in use for the past 35 years. Several cloned immunoregulatory agents such as the interleukins and bacterial adjuvants such as BCG have apparently shown disappointing therapeutic activity in the clinic but James Talmadge explains that the design of Phase I trials may yield insufficient information to assess accurately the immunomodulatory and clinical effects of potentially useful biological response modifiers.