Although cancer vaccines have yielded promising results both in vitro and in animal models, their translation into clinical application has not been very successful so far. Through the success of immune checkpoint inhibitors, the tumor immunotherapy field revived and led to important new insights. A better understanding of the functional capacity of different dendritic cell (DC) subsets and the immunogenicity of tumor antigens, more particularly of neoantigens, have important implications for the improvement of cancer vaccines. These insights can guide the development of novel strategies, to enhance the clinical utility of cancer vaccines. The aim of this Research Topic is therefore to provide a comprehensive overview of current issues regarding cancer vaccine development with an emphasis on novel approaches toward enhancing their efficacy.

Harnessing the potential of the human body's own immune system to attack malignant tumor cells has been the goal of many scientific investigators in recent years, with advances in cancer biology and immunology enabling cancer immunotherapy to become a reality. World-class bench and clinical researchers have joined forces to collaborate and review current developments and trends in cancer immunology for the purposes of this book, and the result is a promising review of contemporary clinical treatments. In each chapter the authors present the scientific basis behind such therapeutic approaches, including cancer vaccines with special focus on prostate cancer, melanoma and novel approaches utilizing both innate and adaptive immune responses.

Rapid progress in the definition of tumor antigens, and improved immunization methods, bring effective cancer vaccines within reach. In this wide-ranging survey, leading clinicians and scientists review therapeutic cancer vaccine strategies against a variety of diseases and molecular targets. Intended for an interdisciplinary readership, their contributions cover the rationale, development, and implementation of vaccines in human cancer treatment, with specific reference to cancer of the cervix, breast, colon, bladder, and prostate, and to melanoma and lymphoma. They review target identification, delivery vectors and clinical trial design. The book begins and ends with lucid overviews from the editors, that discuss the most recent developments.

This volume focuses on the laboratory and clinical experience with targeting viral onco-antigens, while also reviewing the approaches to targeting self-cancer antigens in cancers of non-viral origin, where self-tolerance has been a challenge. It emphasizes the importance of selecting the right vaccine platform to induce a successful immune response against cancer antigens. In addition, the volume discusses the advances made with genetic vaccines, including recent advances with DNA vaccines and the rapid transition of mRNA vaccines from the laboratory to bedside. The new avenues opening up for cancer immunotherapy underline the importance of combinational approaches using cancer vaccines with costimulatory antibodies, which may dramatically improve cancer treatment. This book is intended for all translational researchers and clinicians who aspire to develop novel vaccination approaches for cancer patients with unmet clinical needs.

Discovery of target molecules for cancer immunotherapy by genetic and bioinformatic approaches -- Current strategies for the identification of immunogenic epitopes of tumor antigens -- Current and future role of natural-killer cells in cancer immunotherapy -- The role of immune monitoring in evaluating cancer immunotherapy -- Statistical analysis of immune response assays -- DNA vaccines for cancer immunotherapy -- Dendritic cells -- Different approaches to dendritic cell-based cancer immunotherapy -- Anti-idiotype antibody vaccines for the immunotherapy of cancer -- Autologous tumor-derived heat shock protein vaccine as a new paradigm for individualized cancer therapeutics -- Tumor-reactive T-cells for adoptive immunotherapy -- T-cell adoptive immunotherapy of cancer: from translational models to clinical significance -- Retroviral-mediated gene transfer for engineering tumor-reactive T-cells -- Harnessing the potential of graft-vs-tumor -- Tumor-induced immune suppression and immune escape: mechanisms and impact on the outcome of immunotherapy of malignant disease -- The tumor microenvironment: regulation of antitumor immunity and implications for immunotherapy -- Manipulation of lymphocyte homeostasis for enhancing antitumor immunity -- Fast-lane evolution in the tumor microenvironment -- Manipulating immunological checkpoints to maximize antitumor immunity -- Interleukin-2 as cancer therapy -- Biological and clinical properties of the type 1 interferons -- Promising g [gamma]-chain cytokines for cancer immunotherapy: interleukins-7, -15, and -21 as vaccine adjuvants, growth factors -- The therapeutic use of natural-killer cells in hematological malignancies -- Antibody therapy for solid tumors -- Antibody therapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma -- Approaches to in vivo imaging of cancer immunotherapy -- Design issues for early-stage clinical trials for cancer vaccines -- Monoclonal antibody therapy for cancer.

Therapeutic cancer vaccines represent a type of active cancer immunotherapy. Clinicians, scientists, and researchers working on cancer treatment require evidence-based and up-to-date resources relating to therapeutic cancer vaccines. Vaccines for Cancer Immunotherapy provides a reference for cancer treatment for clinicians and presents a well-organized resource for determining high-potential research areas. The book considers that this promising modality can be made more feasible as a treatment for cancer. Chapters cover cancer immunology, general approaches to cancer immunotherapy, vaccines, tumor antigens, the strategy of allogeneic and autologous cancer vaccines, personalized vaccines, whole-tumor antigen vaccines, protein and peptide vaccines, dendritic cell vaccines, genetic vaccines, candidate cancers for vaccination, obstacles to developing therapeutic cancer vaccines, combination therapy, future perspectives and concluding remarks on therapeutic cancer vaccines. Introduces the feasible immunotherapeutic vaccines for patients with different types of cancer Presents the status of past and current vaccines for cancer treatment Considers advantages and disadvantages of different therapeutic cancer vaccines Looks at the combination of vaccines and other modalities, including immunotherapeutic and conventional methods Analyzes obstacles to development of therapeutic cancer vaccines Gives a view on future perspectives in the application of therapeutic cancer vaccines

Harnessing the potential of the human body's own immune system to attack malignant tumor cells has been the goal of many scientific investigators in recent years, with advances in cancer biology and immunology enabling cancer immunotherapy to become a reality. World-class bench and clinical researchers have joined forces to collaborate and review current developments and trends in cancer immunology for the purposes of this book, and the result is a promising review of contemporary clinical treatments. In each chapter the authors present the scientific basis behind such therapeutic approaches, including cancer vaccines with special focus on prostate cancer, melanoma and novel approaches utilizing both innate and adaptive immune responses.