Vaccination and personalized cancer vaccines focusing on common cancers in women: A narrative review.

in Pathology, research and practice by Seyed Sadeq Mousavi Ghahfarrokhi, Pegah Karimi, Fateme-Sadat Mahdigholi, Mohadeseh Haji Abdolvahab

TLDR

  • Cancer vaccines, particularly personalized neoantigens, show promise in combating various types of cancer by stimulating anti-tumor immunity and preventing tumor growth.
  • Recent findings highlight the potential of four types of cancer vaccines, with on-going trials demonstrating the efficacy of targeted treatments.
  • Future research directions focus on further explorations of personalized cancer vaccines to effectively counter various types of cancer.

Abstract

Immunotherapy has recently cast great attention on cancer vaccines in order to aim to decrease tumor growth, elicit persistent anti-tumor memory, and avert adverse reactions. Moreover, cancer vaccines employ tumor antigens to stimulate anti-tumor immunity using different platforms, for example, whole cells, nucleic acids, peptides, etc. Recent findings have classified cancer vaccines into cell-based, virus-based, peptide-based, and nucleic acid-based types. Personalized cancer vaccines, also known as neoantigens, have exhibited acceptable safety and efficacy in eliciting immune responses against melanoma and glioblastoma. Neoantigen-based vaccines, concentrating on tumor antigens present only in cancer cells, bring intriguing opportunities for different types of cancer, including melanoma, lung, bladder, breast, renal, head and neck, and colorectal cancers. Furthermore, breast cancer research underscores ongoing trials of vaccines targeting α-lactalbumin to prevent the recurrence of triple-negative breast cancer. Lung cancer studies have discovered interesting outcomes with liposomal vaccines and the potential of CIMAvax-EGF in the prevention of lung cancer. Studies on ovarian cancer highlight personalized cancer vaccines using dendritic cells and various tumor-associated antigens to elicit T-cell responses against cancer cells. Overall, such advancements suggest great promise for future clinical translation of cancer novel immunotherapy-based approaches to effectively counter various types of cancer.

Overview

  • The study focuses on cancer vaccines, specifically personalized neoantigens, to combat various types of cancer.
  • The primary objective is to elicit anti-tumor immunity, avert adverse reactions, and prevent tumor growth.
  • The study explores different platforms for cancer vaccines, including whole cells, nucleic acids, peptides, and virus-based vaccines.

Comparative Analysis & Findings

  • Recent findings have classified cancer vaccines into four types: cell-based, virus-based, peptide-based, and nucleic acid-based.
  • Neoantigen-based vaccines, focusing on tumor antigens present only in cancer cells, showed acceptable safety and efficacy in melanoma and glioblastoma.
  • Breast, lung, ovarian, renal, head and neck, and colorectal cancers are potential targets for neoantigen-based vaccines.

Implications and Future Directions

  • Cancer vaccine research holds great promise for future clinical translation, offering novel immunotherapy-based approaches to combat various types of cancer.
  • On-going trials, such as those targeting α-lactalbumin in breast cancer and liposomal vaccines in lung cancer, demonstrate the potential for targeted treatments.
  • Future directions include further exploration of personalized cancer vaccines, such as dendritic cells and various tumor-associated antigens, to elicit T-cell responses.
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