Effectiveness of Cancer Treatment Vaccines

Abstract

Immunotherapy is a treatment designed using the patient’s immune system to attack cancer in the body. It is able to manipulate the immune system and allow it to identify cancer cells and initiate immune response to kill them. Cancer treatment vaccines are an emerging topic in immunotherapy treatments. By injecting a cancer vaccine, the immune system is able to combat cancer, causing tumors to shrink. The use of vaccines also allows for immunity to the cancer cells with the use of memory T cells, meaning the tumor will be unable to continue growing after most treatment. Multiple variations of cancer treatment vaccines have been studied in clinical trials. (American Society of Clinical Oncology) The stimulation of anti-tumor cells has been studied with the use of cell, peptide, virus, or nucleic acid-based vaccines. These vaccines are used as an aid for the immune system when cancer cells are present, not a preventative measure.