When unity makes strength: Combinatorial NK cell-based immunotherapies against melanoma

In metastatic melanoma patients, circulating natural killer (NK) cells display phenotypic and functional alterations that appear to correlate with the duration of stage IV disease. Moreover, specific NK cell subsets that exhibit robust tumoricidal functions upon activation by cytokines infiltrate the diseased lymph nodes of these patients. These data suggest that NK cells may be harnessed for the development of novel combinatorial immunotherapies against melanoma.