Enhancing immune responses to tumor-associated antigens

Abstract

The goal of vaccine-based cancer immunotherapy is to induce a tumor-specific immune response that ultimately reduces tumor burden. However, the immune system is often tolerant to antigens presented by the tumor, as the cancer originates from within a patient and is therefore recognized as self. This article reviews selected clinical strategies for overcoming this immune tolerance, and approaches to enhance generation of immunity to tumor-associated antigens by activating innate immunity, potentiating adaptive immunity, reducing immunosuppression, and enhancing tumor immunogenicity. Success in the field of cancer vaccines has yet to be fully realized, but intelligent choice of immunomodulators, tumor antigens and patient populations will likely lead to clinically relevant uses for cancer vaccines.

Clinically feasible approaches to potentiating cancer cell-based immunotherapies

“…126,127 The simplicity of cryoablation coupled with its minimal negative effects on the immune system make this procedure an attractive candidate for combination regiment with immunotherapy. 124 Chemotherapy Long-standing dogma suggested that myelosuppressive effects of chemotherapy would prevent its application in combination with immunotherapy. However, this assumption was challenged by a large amount of experimental data obtained in recent years.…”

“…Recent data indicates that RFA enhanced DC maturation, increased the frequency of tumor-specific T-cells, and reduced Treg numbers, making RFA plus immunotherapy an appealing combination approach for cancer therapy. 123,124 High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a technique in which a transducer is used to generate high-frequency ultrasound waves focused on a single point in the tumor. HIFU can deliver a large amount of energy that is subsequently converted to thermal energy, resulting in tumor cell destruction with minimal damage to the surrounding tissue.…”

Peptides in Melanoma Therapy

“…1): the cellular and molecular features of this biological scenario can ultimately tip the balance towards an effective immune response rather than immunological tolerance or even ignorance [99][100][101][102]. Based on this general concept, a variety of strategies have been devised to polarize the immune system against cancer: a comprehensive review of this ever growing field of research is beyond the scope of this article, and in this regard the readers are referred to dedicated review articles [103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110].…”

Immunonkologie «Coming of Age» - die nächste Generation der Immun-Checkpoint-Inhibitoren

“…zielgerichteten (targeted) Therapieansätzen. Dabei verfügen konventionelle Krebstherapien wie die Chemotherapie oder Radiotherapie ihrerseits über Wirkmechanismen, die zur Potenzierung der antitumoralen Immunantwort beitragen können [26,27]. Beispielsweise kann ionisierende Strahlung eine vermehrte Expression von Zelloberflächenproteinen wie z.B.…”