Cytokine induced killer cell immunotherapy in cancer treatment: from bench to bed side

Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells are T effector cells generated by monocytes cultured and stimulated by cytokines. CIK cells were studied for more than 20 years ago. Because they can cause lysis of tumor cells that of both autologous and allogenic origins, they were used in cancer treatment. This review aimed to summarize advancements of CIK cell research and their recent clinical applications in cancer treatment. In general, CIK cells were widely clinically used for recent 5 years. They gave promising results in breast cancer, lung cancer, renal cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma treatment. Looking into the future, CIK cell based immunotherapy will become an important tool in cancer treatment.