Abstract

This Review deals with recent progress in the immunotherapy of established (pre)malignant disease of viral or non-viral origin by synthetic vaccines capable of inducing robust T-cell responses. The most attractive vaccine compounds are synthetic long peptides (SLP) corresponding to the sequence of tumour viral antigens or tumour-associated non-viral antigens. Crucial to induction of therapeutic T-cell immunity is the capacity of SLP to deliver specific cargo to professional antigen-presenting cells (dendritic cells (DC)). Proper DC activation then induces the therapeutic CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell responses that are associated with regression of established (pre)malignant lesions, including those induced by high-risk human papilloma virus.

Author affiliations

1. Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands.
2. Department of Clinical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands.

Correspondence to: Cornelis J.M. Melief¹ Email: cmelief@lumc.nl

Correspondence to: Sjoerd H. van der Burg² Email: shvdburg@lumc.nl

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