Chemotherapy : friend or foe to cancer vaccines?

Cancer vaccines are oil the threshold of taking their place alongside the more traditional cancer treatment modalities of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The toxicology and immunopharmacology of therapeutic cancer vaccines, particularly those that secrete granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), are currently under active clinical investigation. Interestingly drugs traditionally used for tumor cytoreduction can have both positive and negative effects on host immunity. Exploration of the potential pharmacodynamic interactions of antineoplastic drugs with GM-CSF-secreting vaccines has revealed that low doses of some chemotherapeutics can augment the antitumor immunity induced by GM-CSF-secreting vaccines. These interactions will require through preclinical evaluation to maximize the clinical impact of this type of therapeutic cancer vaccine

Breast cancer vaccines: Heeding the lessons of the past to guide a path forward

The ability of cancer immunotherapy to generate lasting responses in a broad spectrum of tumors has generated great enthusiasm in medical oncology. A number of new immune-based compounds have now been approved based on the recent success of immune checkpoint blockade, either administered as monotherapy or in combination with other agents. Because clinical activity is limited only to subsets of patients, two major goals of cancer immunotherapy are (1) to reliably identify responders to these current treatments, and (2) to increase the number of patients who can respond to immunotherapy by developing new strategies. These goals are critically important since the hallmark of immune-based therapies is the induction of durable immunologic and clinical responses that result in overall survival benefit. Innovative combination strategies have great potential for bringing the benefit of immunotherapy to more patients. The use of cancer vaccines to actively induce immune effectors together with other drugs, which may include immune checkpoint blockade, chemotherapy, and/or molecularly targeted agents, is a particularly attractive strategy. Cancer vaccines have been tested both to prevent or intercept the development of cancer, and to decrease established tumor burdens. No vaccine has yet been approved for either breast cancer treatment or prevention. Here, we review the history of breast cancer vaccine development, and highlight near-term opportunities for moving forward.SCOPUS: re.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Prerequisite of a Holistic Blend of Traditional and Modern Approaches of Cancer Management

Background: With the advent of changes in lifestyle of people all around the world, cancer cases have been showing an exponential rise. Researchers from varied fields have been trying to solve this tricky issue. Methods: We undertook a systematic search of bibliographic databases of peer-reviewed research literature to evaluate the holistic blend of modern and traditional approaches, especially the Ayurvedic perspective of treatment of cancer along with the effect of our diet and lifestyle on the management (both prevention and cure) of cancer. Results: On the basis of extensive literature survey, it was found that Ayurveda as one of the ancient medicinal systems had been very well documented for utilizing its best practices for the treatment of various diseases including cancer, by utilization of several herbal plants and dietary interventions as therapeutics. Active components present in various herbs, which interfere with certain molecular targets to inhibit carcinogenesis are also summarized. Further, beneficial effects of yoga and exercise on psychological distress, cancer-related fatigue and global side-effects as well as their mechanism of action are also discussed. In addition, we recapitulate an upcoming field of Ayurgenomics to understand the possible correlation of Prakriti with genetics as well as epigenetics. Conclusion: Both genetic as well as environmental factors have shown their linkage with cancer. Substantial advancements in the field of targeted therapies have opened new horizons for the cancer patients. To fight with this grave situation, a combination of ancient and modern medicinal systems seems to be the need of the hour