Is prevention of cancer possible with tumor-specific vaccines?
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death today, and new therapeutic approaches are continuously being explored. In recent years, cancer vaccines have been tried with the aim of induction of an active specific immune response against the tumor. Although some successful results are obtained, cure rates are still disappointing. The main reason for failure is that vaccines are applied to patients diagnosed with cancer; in these patients, tumor cell burden is so high that it is almost impossible to overcome the disease by increasing the immune response with vaccines at this stage. This hypothesis is based on the following idea: since therapy for cancer is unsuccessful in the majority of patients, methods of prevention should be improved. Immunization against microorganisms has largely prevented morbidity and mortality from infectious disease. In a similar way, if we immunize people before the development of malignant disease with tumor-specific vaccines, then prevention of cancer may be possible.
Demiroğlu
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Hacettepe University Medical School, Department of Hematology, Ankara, Turkey.
D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D008954:Models, Biological; D009017:Morbidity; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*
D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D019496:Cancer Vaccines