Flt3 ligand induces tumor regression and antitumor immune responses in vivo.

Daily treatment of mice with recombinant human Flt3 ligand (huFlt3L) results in a dramatic numerical increase in the number of dendritic cells (DCs) in vivo. Since DCs are pivotal in the induction of immune responses, we tested whether Flt3L treatment of mice challenged with a syngeneic methylcholanthrene (MCA)-induced fibrosarcoma would augment the generation of effective antitumor immune responses in vivo. Flt3L treatment not only induced complete tumor regression in a significant proportion of mice, but also decreased tumor growth rate in the remaining mice. A preliminary characterization of the cellular mechanisms involved suggests that Flt3L may be important in the treatment of cancer in situ through the generation of specific antitumor immune responses.