Development of Tumor Vaccine:
Immunotherapy can be preventive as well as therapeutic. Tumor immunotherapy can be active or passive. Passive immunotherapy also known as adaptive immunotherapy involves the administration of the cells or antibodies, while active immunotherapy involves the generation of immune specific reaction towards specific tumor antigens (TSA) and assisted tumor antigens (TAA). Treatment of cancer by prophylactic and therapeutic means helps to prevent the re-occurrence of cancer, destruction of cancer cells and prevention from spreading. Antigens are the components located on the surface of immune system but are not considered as the part of the body. In order to get rid of them, the immune system attacks them, leaving a memory for the immune system to react. Treatment by vaccination helps the immune system in boosting the ability of recognition and destruction of antigens. Cancer specific cells present only in cancer patients when given to other person act as antigens and boosts the immune system for the recognition and destruction of antigens. In addition, certain adjuvants are also present in some vaccines that help in the strengthening of the immunity. Some vaccines are tumor specific, i.e., especially designed by taking the person’s tumor sample. In order to take the sample for vaccination, surgery is performed, which removes the sample from the site of tumor. However, other vaccines are prepared to target the specific cancer antigens and are administered to people in order to develop immunity against it.
Clinical trials are required for the vaccines of cancer treatment, involving volunteers to carry out the trial. A clinical trial was carried out in 2010, in which approval from FDA was taken for the implementation of vaccine for the cancer of metastatic prostate. It is helpful for the treatment of metastatic tumors that spread to various parts of the body. Its dose is administered by a variety of steps. Firstly, from the blood of a person white blood cells are removed which are responsible for fighting against the infection and diseases. These cells are then taken in to the laboratory and are altered in such a way that they recognize the target cells of the prostate cancer. These altered cells are then administered back into the body of a person through vein, a procedure similar to that of blood transfusion. The altered cells help the immune system in finding and destructing of the cells of the prostate cancer. Similarly, vaccines for different other cancers and, tumors have also been formed, and clinical trials had been carried out. For the vaccine of the tumor of the bladder, research has been carried out to study the efficacy of vaccine originated from a virus that was altered to form HER2 cells, which lived on the superficial surface of the bladder in some cases of tumor. This virus proves to be effective in the recognition and destruction of the cancer cells. In case of brain tumors, several tests have been carried on the development of vaccines from the cells present at the site of tumor. Similarly, clinical trials for the development of vaccine of the breast cancer has also been carried. In case of colorectal cancer or tumor, the researchers are trying to make a vaccine that causes the body to attack its own cells that have antigens causing the colorectal tumor. For the treatment of lung tumor, the clinical trials of vaccine target the antigen MAGE-3, frequently found in about 42 % of the cases of lung cancer and NY-ESO-1 found in about 30 % of the cases of lung cancer. For the treatment of pancreatic cancer, the researchers are working on such type of vaccines that will help in boosting the immunity against the pancreatic tumor cells. In addition to boosting the immunity against the cancer, several works have also been done on the treatment of recurring cancers.
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