What is recent in pancreatic cancer immunotherapy?

Biomed Res Int. 2013:2013:492372. doi: 10.1155/2013/492372. Epub 2012 Dec 26.

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer (PC) represents an unresolved therapeutic challenge, due to the poor prognosis and the reduced response to currently available treatments. Pancreatic cancer is the most lethal type of digestive cancers, with a median survival of 4-6 months. Only a small proportion of PC patients is curative by surgical resection, whilst standard chemotherapy for patients in advanced disease generates only modest effects with considerable toxic damages. Thus, new therapeutic approaches, specially specific treatments such as immunotherapy, are needed. In this paper we analyze recent preclinical and clinical efforts towards immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer, including passive and active immunotherapy approaches, designed to target pancreatic-cancer-associated antigens and to elicit an antitumor response in vivo.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use
  • Cancer Vaccines / therapeutic use
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Combined Modality Therapy / methods
  • Dendritic Cells / cytology
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy / methods*
  • Medical Oncology / trends*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Prognosis
  • T-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Cancer Vaccines
  • Peptides