A perspective on monoclonal antibody therapy: where we have been and where we are going.

The history of monoclonal antibody therapy for cancer includes many promising beginnings, a vast number of detours, and now a major success--perhaps soon to be joined by several more. Years of research by hundreds of investigators worldwide have led to a growing understanding of the principles that underlie successful monoclonal antibody therapy and that can be used to create new antibody-based agents. However, there are many remaining uncertainties about this mode of therapy, even for those agents that have already joined our therapeutic armamentarium. Several key questions will be identified and used to suggest avenues for future research.