Tumor models to investigate the therapeutic efficiency of immunomodulators.

The development of successful approaches to immunotherapy is dependent on the proper consideration of the pathobiology of metastasis and a better understanding of the principles of biological response modification. Immunomodulation as a therapeutic modality has not proven notably effective in animals with preexistent palpable disease, an observation in agreement with the results from clinical protocols. Therefore, rather than developing experimental immunotherapy models of immunoprophylaxis or models with minimal tumor burden, we believe it more appropriate to develop models based on preexistent metastatic disease in a tumor-conditioned host. The most rigorous test of a biological response modifier's efficiency prior to clinical trials will be provided from immunotherapeutic trials of palpable autochthonous tumors.