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The promise of cancer vaccines

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 4, pages 401–411 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

From early excitement to total disillusionment and now gaining momentum again, cancer vaccination has been a real roller-coaster ride. Are the current expectations justified or will there be further disappointment? In this perspective article, I will discuss why the rationale of cancer vaccination does make sense after all and offer some thoughts and guidelines on how to get it right this time.

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Figure 1: Antitumour effector arms of the immune response.
Figure 2: Ex vivo loading of dendritic cells with tumour antigens.
Figure 3: Activation of T cells by dendritic cells.
Figure 4: Mechanisms of tumour-mediated immune evasion.

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Acknowledgements

Correction: The DOI number given for this article in the May 2004 print issue of Nature Reviews Cancer was wrong. The correct DOI number is: doi:10.1038/nrc1359.

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  1. The Center for Cellular and Genetic Therapies, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, 27710, North Carolina, USA

    Eli Gilboa

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The author is the scientific founder and owns stock in Merix Bioscience, a cancer immunotherapy company.

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DATABASES

Cancer.gov

breast cancer

ovarian cancer

small-cell lung cancer

LocusLink

B7H1

CD25

CD4

CDR2

CTLA4

ERBB2

IFN-α

IFN-γ

IL-10

IL-15

Ly75

MART1

MICA

MICB

PDCD1

SILV

STAT1

TERT

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Gilboa, E. The promise of cancer vaccines. Nat Rev Cancer 4, 401–411 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc1359

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