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Therapeutic cancer vaccines
Jeffrey Schlom1, James W Hodge1, Claudia Palena1
1Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Abstract:
Therapeutic cancer vaccines have the potential of being integrated in the therapy of numerous cancer types and stages. The wide spectrum of vaccine platforms and vaccine targets is reviewed along with the potential for development of vaccines to target cancer cell "stemness," the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype, and drug-resistant populations. Preclinical and recent clinical studies are now revealing how vaccines can optimally be used with other immune-based therapies such as checkpoint inhibitors, and so-called nonimmune-based therapeutics, radiation, hormonal therapy, and certain small molecule targeted therapies; it is now being revealed that many of these traditional therapies can lyse tumor cells in a manner as to further potentiate the host immune response, alter the phenotype of nonlysed tumor cells to render them more susceptible to T-cell lysis, and/or shift the balance of effector:regulatory cells in a manner to enhance vaccine efficacy. The importance of the tumor microenvironment, the appropriate patient population, and clinical trial endpoints is also discussed in the context of optimizing patient benefit from vaccine-mediated therapy.
Insights
Therapeutic cancer vaccines show promise for various cancers. Combining vaccines with other treatments enhances immune response and patient outcomes, targeting key cancer traits like stemness and drug resistance.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Therapeutic cancer vaccines offer a versatile approach for treating diverse cancer types and stages.
- Key targets include cancer stemness, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and drug-resistant populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current vaccine platforms and targets.
- To explore the integration of cancer vaccines with other therapeutic modalities.
- To discuss optimizing vaccine efficacy through understanding the tumor microenvironment and patient selection.
Main Methods:
- Review of preclinical and clinical studies on therapeutic cancer vaccines.
- Analysis of combination strategies with immune-based and non-immune-based therapies.
- Discussion of factors influencing vaccine efficacy, including tumor microenvironment and patient populations.
Main Results:
- Cancer vaccines can be combined with checkpoint inhibitors, radiation, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapies.
- Traditional therapies can enhance vaccine efficacy by promoting tumor cell lysis and modulating the immune response.
- Vaccines targeting stemness, EMT, and drug resistance show potential.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing cancer vaccine therapy involves strategic combinations with existing treatments.
- Understanding the tumor microenvironment and selecting appropriate patient populations are crucial for maximizing vaccine benefits.
- Future research should focus on refining combination strategies and identifying optimal clinical trial endpoints.
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