[Principles and practice of vaccinotherapy for cancer]

Active specific immunotherapy with cancer vaccines is a new approach to treating cancer. After surgical tumor removal, vaccinotherapy has been ascertained to cause an increase in the duration of an asymptomatic period and to postpone the onset of recurrences. Moreover, vaccinotherapy leads to the regression or stabilization of growth of some types of tumors in patients with clinically determined metastases. The review outlines the principles of designing antitumor vaccines, the role of the immune system in the elimination of tumor cells, as well as tumor-associated antigens and presents the types of antitumor vaccines used in clinical practice.