Over the past decade, immunotherapy, especially cell-based immunotherapy, has provided new strategies for cancer therapy. Recent clinical studies demonstrated that adopting cell transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) for advanced solid tumors showed good efficacy. TIL therapy is a type of cell-based immunotherapy using the patient's own immune cells from the microenvironment of the solid tumor to kill tumor cells. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the current strategies and challenges in TIL isolation and generation. Moreover, the current clinical experience of TIL therapy is summarized and discussed, with an emphasis on lymphodepletion regimen, the use of interleukin-2, and related toxicity. Furthermore, we highlight the clinical trials where TIL therapy is used independently and in combination with other types of therapy for solid cancers. Finally, the limitations, future potential, and directions of TIL therapy for solid tumor treatment are also discussed.
Keywords: immunotherapy; solid tumor; tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL).