Cancer vaccines. Part 2.
Cancer vaccines are being widely studied for the purpose of immune modulation and subsequent antitumor effects. This article cites only a few examples of the many studies underway. Many vaccines have shown efficacy in eliciting systemic responses with minimal toxicities. The use of vaccines as a modality of cancer therapy in combination with chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy is also being investigated. Although the routine use of approved vaccines is still a goal for the future, instituting this fourth modality of cancer therapy is not too distant. Phase III trials with both melanoma and colon cancer vaccines have been completed. Synthetic carbohydrate antigen vaccines have shown efficacy in several tumor types during Phase II trials and are also generating enthusiasm. The potential impact of vaccine therapy on the profession of pharmacy may involve patient counseling regarding management of side effects and possibly also dispensing of vaccine therapy products to patients directly for home administration. As ambulatory sites open in conjunction with pharmacy services and pharmacists obtain prescribing authority, pharmacists' active involvement in vaccine counseling and administration seems likely.
Hallin
P A
PA
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Tex., USA.
Adams
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VR
D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D010595:Pharmacists; D014481:United States
D019496:Cancer Vaccines