Immunotherapy opportunities in ovarian cancer

Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2008 Feb;8(2):243-57. doi: 10.1586/14737140.8.2.243.

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is responsible for the majority of gynecologic cancer deaths and despite the highest standard of multimodality therapy with surgery and cytotoxic chemotherapy, long-term survival remains low. With compelling evidence that epithelial ovarian cancer is an immunogenic tumor capable of stimulating an antitumor immune response, renewed efforts to develop immune therapies to augment the efficacy of traditional therapies are underway. Current immunotherapies focus on varied modes of antitumor vaccine development, particularly with the use of dendritic cell vaccines, effective methods for adoptive T-cell transfer and combinatorial approaches with immune modulatory therapy subverting natural tolerance mechanisms or boosting effector mechanisms. Additional combinatorial approaches include the use of cytokines and/or chemotherapy with immune therapy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cancer Vaccines / therapeutic use
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy / methods*
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive
  • Killer Cells, Natural / immunology
  • Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / immunology
  • Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / mortality*
  • Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / therapy*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / immunology
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / mortality*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Ovariectomy / methods
  • Prognosis
  • Risk Assessment
  • Survival Analysis
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Tumor Escape / immunology

Substances

  • Cancer Vaccines