Personalized peptide vaccination: a novel immunotherapeutic approach for advanced cancer

Since both tumor cells and immune cell repertoires are diverse and heterogeneous, immune responses against tumor-associated antigens might be substantially different among individual patients. Personalized selection of right peptides for individuals could thus be an appropriate strategy for cancer vaccines. We have developed a novel immunotherapeutic approach, personalized peptide vaccination (PPV), in which HLA-matched peptides are selected and administered, based on the pre-existing host immunity before vaccination. Recent clinical trials of PPV have demonstrated a feasibility of this new therapeutic approach in various types of advanced cancers. For example, a randomized phase II trial for patients with castration resistant prostate cancer showed a possible clinical benefit in the PPV group. In the patients undergoing PPV, lymphocyte counts, increased IgG responses to the vaccine peptides, and inflammatory factors in pre-vaccination peripheral blood might be potential biomarkers for prognosis. Further randomized phase III trials would be recommended to prove clinical benefits of PPV.