Pancreatic cancer vaccine: a unique potential therapy

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a lethal disease and is one of the cancers that is most resistant to traditional therapies. Historically, neither chemotherapy nor radiotherapy has provided any significant increase in the survival of patients with PDA. Despite intensive efforts, any attempt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inGastrointestinal cancer Vol. 6; p. 1
Main Authors Novelli, Francesco, Principe, Moitza, Cappello, Paola
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Macclesfield Taylor & Francis Ltd 01.01.2016
Subjects
5-Fluorouracil
Antigens
Biomarkers
Cancer therapies
Cancer vaccines
Chemotherapy
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Immunotherapy
Medical prognosis
Metastasis
Pancreatic cancer
Peptides
Prostate
Response rates
Tumors
Vaccines
United States > US
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Summary:Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a lethal disease and is one of the cancers that is most resistant to traditional therapies. Historically, neither chemotherapy nor radiotherapy has provided any significant increase in the survival of patients with PDA. Despite intensive efforts, any attempts to improve the survival in the past 15 years have failed. This holds true even after the introduction of molecularly targeted agents, chosen on the basis of their involvement in pathways that are considered to be important in PDA development and progression. Recently, however, FOLFIRINOX (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin) treatment has provided a limited survival advantage in patients with advanced PDA. Therefore, effective therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to improve the survival rate of patients with PDA. Results from the last 10 years of research in the field of PDA have helped to identify new immunological targets and develop new vaccines that are capable of stimulating an immune response. In addition, the information obtained about the role of the tumor microenvironment in suppressing the immune response and the possibility of targeting PDA microenvironment to limit immune suppression and enhance the response of effector T-cells has opened new avenues for treating this incurable disease. The time is ripe for developing new therapeutic approaches that are able to effectively counteract the progression and spreading of PDA. This review discusses the potential prospects in the care of patients with pancreatic cancer through vaccination and its combination therapy with surgery, chemotherapy, targeting of the tumor microenvironment, and inhibition of immunological checkpoints.
ISSN:1179-9919
1179-9919
DOI:10.2147/GICTT.S55850