Combining cancer vaccines with conventional therapies

Abstract

Cancer vaccines offer the promise of a noninvasive method to attack tumors using the patient's immune system. Although such strategies have shown robust activity in preclinical models, the results from clinical trials have been modest. Although the exact reason for the lack of clinical success remains to be determined, it is clear that the immunosuppressive environment of large tumors represents a hindrance to vaccine outcome. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that combining vaccination with conventional debulking therapies should lead to an improved outcome. In this chapter, we discuss these issues and results from recent experiments demonstrating the combining vaccination with surgical resection or chemotherapy can greatly enhance the activity of cancer vaccines in situations of large tumor burden.