Challenges to the development of antigen-specific breast cancer vaccines.
Continued progress in the development of antigen-specific breast cancer vaccines depends on the identification of appropriate target antigens, the establishment of effective immunization strategies, and the ability to circumvent immune escape mechanisms. Methods such as T cell epitope cloning and serological expression cloning (SEREX) have led to the identification of a number target antigens expressed in breast cancer. Improved immunization strategies, such as using dendritic cells to present tumor-associated antigens to T lymphocytes, have been shown to induce antigen-specific T cell responses in vivo and, in some cases, objective clinical responses. An outcome of successful tumor immunity is the evolution of antigen-loss tumor variants. The development of a polyvalent breast cancer vaccine, directed against a panel of tumor-associated antigens, may counteract this form of immune escape.
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan0Kettering Cancer Center, New York 10021, USA. scanlanm@mskcc.org
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D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016233:Immunotherapy, Active; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy
D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines