title: Immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer: current concepts.
abstract: Despite advances in chemotherapy and surgical technique, patients with pancreatic cancer often succumb to local recurrence or metastatic spread. The need for new therapeutic strategies for this disease coupled with a better understanding of basic immunology have led to the development of novel anti-tumor vaccines. This review focuses on the historical development of tumor vaccines emphasizing the identification of potential pancreatic tumor antigens. The role of both B-cell and T-cell responses in tumor rejection will be reviewed. Methods for antigen presentation, including peptides, recombinant viral and bacterial vectors, dendritic cells, and whole cell approaches will be discussed. The use of immune adjuvants and improved methods of vaccine delivery will also be explored. The full potential for the immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer awaits the results of early phase clinical trials. The development of pancreatic cancer vaccines represents a useful paradigm for the translation of basic research into the clinical arena.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. kaufman@aecom.yu.edu
authors.forename: Howard L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Kaufman
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Di Vito
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hörig
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016207:Cytokines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D019139:Tumor Escape; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D016207:Cytokines; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic