Systemic specific active immunotherapy for solid tumors. An overview about cancer vaccine therapy

Augmentation of specific immunity is one of the most promising immunotherapeutical approaches against solid tumors. Protocols using autologous tumor cells or tumor associated antigens are easily performed and not charged by severe side effects. Recently some clinical trials suggested good results from immunotherapeutical protocols applied as an adjuvant to surgery in terms of disease free interval, survival and progression time in different stages. In this review the authors report the results of the most important clinical trials of vaccine therapy in solid tumors. Little is known about the possibility of this new approach to oncology since we are at the real beginning of a new clinical treatment but in the considered trial its effectiveness seems to suggest a future wider application.