NK cells have killing activity against leukemic cells and solid cancer cells that escape from T cell recognition because of the low expression level of HLA class I molecules. This characteristic feature of NK cell recognition of target cells in contrast to T cells provides a strategy to overcome tolerance in cancer and leukemia patients. A strong alloreactive NK cell-mediated anti-leukemia effect can be induced in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Also, NK cells can be expanded by several methods for adoptive immunotherapy for hematological malignancies and other malignant diseases.

We review the historical role of NK cells and recent approaches to enhance the functions of NK cells, including ex vivo expansion of autologous and allogenic NK cells, checkpoint receptor blockade, and the use of memory-like NK cells and CAR-NK cells, for treatment of hematological malignancies.

由于HLA I类分子的低表达水平，NK细胞对从T细胞识别中逃脱的白血病细胞和实体癌细胞具有杀伤活性。与T细胞相比，靶细胞的NK细胞识别的这一特征为克服癌症和白血病患者的耐受性提供了一种策略。在单倍型造血干细胞移植中可以诱导强烈的变态反应性NK细胞介导的抗白血病作用。同样，NK细胞可以通过几种方法进行扩增，以用于血液学恶性肿瘤和其他恶性疾病的过继免疫疗法。

我们回顾了NK细胞的历史作用以及增强NK细胞功能的最新方法，包括自体和同种NK细胞的离体扩增，检查点受体阻滞以及记忆样NK细胞和CAR-NK细胞的使用，血液系统恶性肿瘤的治疗。