Vaccines to treat cancer--an old approach whose time has arrived.
There are extensive DNA changes in tumor cells and the genes of tumor cells continuously mutate at a high rate. While this can provide therapeutic targets, it makes it unlikely that an agent that is selective for a single target will work against all cells in a tumor. However, it may be possible to use tumor epitopes as sentinels to engage adaptive and innate immunological mechanisms and create a tumor destructive environment effective also against variant cells that have lost a given antigen or their ability to present it. We hypothesize that therapeutic tumor vaccines, in combination with the targeting, to tumors, of costimulatory molecules such as anti-CD137scFv, or lymphokines such as GMCSF, will expand anti-tumor responses for therapeutic benefit when used as an adjunct to surgery and chemotherapy.
Hellstrom
Karl Erik
KE
Department of Pathology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98104-2499, USA. hellsk@u.washington.edu
Hellstrom
Ingegerd
I
D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D000939:Epitopes; D006801:Humans; D007110:Immunity, Active; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D000939:Epitopes