Cancer vaccines: comprehensive review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Cancer vaccines leverage tumor-associated antigens and neoantigens to stimulate immune responses against malignant cells.
• This approach aims to generate durable, tumor-specific immunity, offering a novel therapeutic avenue.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of current cancer vaccine strategies.
• To discuss their clinical applications and implications within surgical oncology.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on cancer vaccine strategies.
• Analysis of clinical trial data and outcomes.
• Exploration of combination therapies and their efficacy.

Main Results:

• Promising results observed in high-mutational burden cancers (melanoma, lung, bladder) and 'cold' tumors (pancreatic cancer).
• Combination strategies, particularly with checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., mRNA-4157/V940), show enhanced efficacy in adjuvant settings.
• Off-the-shelf vaccines offer scalability but face challenges in tolerance and specificity; early data suggest improved relapse-free survival and antigen spreading.

Conclusions:

• Cancer vaccines are emerging as valuable adjuncts to surgery and systemic therapies, especially in the perioperative period.
• Integration into multimodal treatment strategies may redefine precision oncology.
• These vaccines hold the potential for durable disease control and improved patient outcomes.