Review Cancer Vaccines: Promising Therapeutics or an Unattainable Dream Howard Donninger 1,2,†, Chi Li 1,3,†, John W. Eaton 2,4 and Kavitha Yaddanapudi 4,5,6,* 1 James Graham Brown Cancer Center, Experimental Therapeutics Group, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA;
[email protected] (H.D.);
[email protected] (C.L.) 2 Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA;
[email protected] 3 Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA 4 James Graham Brown Cancer Center, Immuno-Oncology Group, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA 5 Department of Surgery, Division of Immunotherapy, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA 6 Department of Microbiology/Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA * Correspondence:
[email protected] † Contributed equally. Abstract: The advent of cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized the field of cancer treatment and offers cancer patients new hope. Although this therapy has proved highly successful for some patients, its efficacy is not all encompassing and several cancer types do not respond. Cancer vaccines offer an alternate approach to promote anti-tumor immunity that differ in their mode of action from antibody-based therapies. Cancer vaccines serve to balance the equilibrium of the crosstalk between the tumor cells and the host immune system. Recent advances in understanding the nature of tumor-mediated tolerogenicity and antigen presentation has aided in the identification of tumor antigens that have the potential to enhance anti-tumor immunity. Cancer vaccines can either be Citation: Donninger, H.; Li, C.; prophylactic (preventative) or therapeutic (curative). An exciting option for therapeutic vaccines Eaton, J.W.; Yaddanapudi, K.