Cancer immunotherapy comprises different therapeutic strategies that exploit distinct components of the immune system, with the common goal of specifically targeting and eradicating neoplastic cells. These approaches include specific monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, therapeutic cancer vaccines, and cellular anticancer strategies such as activated dendritic cell (DC) vaccines, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and, more recently, genetically engineered T cells. Each approach has demonstrated promise, but broader success has been limited by the lack of specific tumor targets, resulting in suboptimal tumor responses and unpredictable toxicities. This review focuses on recent advances in the use of engineered T cells for adoptive cellular immunotherapy (ACI) in cancer.