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CANCER VACCINES:A novel approach to cancer.

TOPICS OF THE DAY:Introduction

Cancer statistics

Immunotherapy

Cancer vaccines

Types of cancer vaccines

Conclusion

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A cancer vaccine is a vaccine that treats existing cancer or prevents the development of cancer in certain high-risk individuals. Vaccines that treat existing cancer are known as therapeutic cancer vaccines. Some types of cancer, such as cervical cancer and some liver cancers, are caused by oncoviruses.Scientists have also been trying to develop vaccines against existing cancers.

INTRODUCTION:

CANCER STATISTICS:

020,00040,00060,00080,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

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IMMUNOTHERAPY:

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Immunotherapy is treatment that uses your body's own immune system to help fight cancer.

Considered by many to be the “fourth modality of cancer treatment” after chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.

Based on utilizing the patient’s immune system to fight the cancer.

Cancer vaccines fall under this category of treatment.

CANCER VACCINES:

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Majority used for treatment not prevention.

May offer method that can enhance the immune

response against cancer.

Cancer Vaccines: Different than HPV vaccine and traditional prophylactic vaccines.

HPV Vaccine: Immunity to the virus causing cervical cancer.

Traditional prophylactic vaccines:As with the HPV vaccine, provide immunity to

a particular disease.

At this time, cancer vaccines are only available in clinical trials.

TYPES OF CANCER VACCINES:

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Types of Cancer Vaccines

Dendriticcell vaccines

Antigen vaccines

Tumour cell vaccine

DNA vaccine

Anti idiotypevaccine

Dendritic Cell Vaccines:

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Dendritic cells can be generated outside of thebody.

Dendritic cells are made capable of recognizingantigen by gene therapy and exposure to antigen.

Dendritic cells are made capable of recognizingantigen by gene therapy and exposure to antigen.

These vaccines are being studied in:

prostate

melanoma

breast

lung

colorectal

leukemia

kidney

Antigen Vaccines:

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This includes peptide vaccines: only one specific epitope is injected.

Vast amounts of antigen can be created inlaboratories.

Some antigens are specific for a certain type of cancer; others may induce an immune response in several cancers.

These vaccines are being studied in:

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prostate

melanoma

breast

ovarian

colorectal

pancreatic

kidney

Anti-Idiotype Vaccines:

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Based on the idea that antibodies can also act as antigens triggering an immune response.

This idea would be used to create a vaccine in which the antibodies (which resemble the cancer cells) would be injected into the cancer patient eliciting an immune response.

Primary target is LYMPHOMA.

DNA Vaccine:

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Introduction of tumor genes instead of tumor antigen itself.

Cells in the body take up the injected DNA. Specific antigens would then be made on a continuous basis.

The idea of these vaccines is that the body would be provided with a constant supply of antigens to allow the immune response to continue against the cancer.

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prostate

melanoma

head

neck

leukemia

THESE VACCINES ARE BEING STUDIED IN:

TUMOR CELL VACCINES:

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Utilizes whole tumor cells rendered safe by irradiation.

Specific immune response initiated when injected into body.

Body attacks similar cells that remain in body.

Autologous: removed tumor cells from patient’s own body.

Allogenic:removed tumor cells from someone other than the patient.

Many different epitopes are recognized.

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lung

melanoma

breast

ovarian

colorectal

pancreatic

kidney

THESE VACCINES ARE BEING STUDIED IN:

OncoVAX by Intracel:

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Autologous vaccine for Stage II coloncancer.

Received fast-track status from FDAin 2006.

STUDY: 254 patients received eitherOncoVAX or placebo.

Improves 5-year survival and recurrence-free interval.

57.1% relative risk reduction.

Sipuleucel-T (Provenge) by Dendreon:

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Asymptomatic Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer (AIPC).

TARGET:

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Target-prostatic Acid Phosphatase (PAP), which is found in 95% of prostate cancers.

STUDY OF PROVENGE VS. PLACEBO:98 men with AIPC.3.3 month or 21%

improvement in median survival.

3-YEAR FOLLOW-UP:

32% of men that receivedProvenge alive

compared to21% placebo.

52% increase in survival rate.

Lung Cancer Vaccine at UK:

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Dendritic cell vaccine.

Study: Patients with Stage IA to IIIB were given vaccine.Patients treated prior with surgery, chemoradiation.

CONCLUSION:May be more effective in cancers that are not advanced.

Clinically not yet at our fingertips.

Much progress has been made in this area of research.

More research still needs to be done including larger studies.

Researchers are actively trying to overcome hurdles in the making of these vaccines.

Could make a big impact on our approach to cancer.

Most importantly these vaccines could mean better quality of life and longer survival for our patients!!

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BOTTOM LINE:

“A whole new front,

in the war of cancer.’’

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