Vaccine approaches in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

A limited number of cancer vaccines for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been developed with either whole tumor lysates or individual antigens which, however, are not strictly specific to HCC. Few of such cancer vaccines have been evaluated in clinical trials which have provided disappointing results. Identification of HCC-associated antigens is required to improve the specificity of the elicited immune response. Furthermore, combinations with treatments able to counterbalance the liver immune suppressive environment need to be evaluated for improved anti-tumor efficacy.