Cancer vaccines in hematologic malignancy: A systematic review of the rational and evidence for clinical use

Immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint blockade, CART cells and bispecific antibodies have resulted in dramatic improvements in outcomes for patients with hematological malignancies, demonstrating the unique potency of the immune system in targeting malignant cells. The development of cancer vaccines aims to evoke an activated effector cell population and a memory response to provide long term immune surveillance to protect from relapse. Developing a potent cancer vaccine relies on identifying appropriate antigen targets, enhancing antigen presentation, and overcoming the immune suppressive milieu of the micro-environment. Critical advances include the identification of neoantigens as targets for high affinity T cells, multi-antigenic targets via whole-cell or multi-peptide platforms, dendritic cell-based strategies, and adjunct immunoregulatory agents to enhance response. In the present review, we examine the current understanding of immune dysregulation in hematologic malignancies, the rationale for cancer vaccines, and the clinical and immunologic response data available from preclinical and clinical settings.