Cytokines as Possible Adjuvants to Vaccines in Active Specific Immunotherapy for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Several types of cancer vaccines are being investigated for their use in active specific immunotherapy for cancer patients. These forms of cancer vaccines are listed in Table 1. In renal carcinoma, much of the previous clinical work has been conducted with autologous whole tumor cells [1, 3, 4, 6]. This type of vaccine is prepared by obtaining a sample of the patient’s tumor, such as from the nephrectomy specimen, dissociating the tumor cells, radiating them to leave the tumor cells alive but incapable of viable cell division. The underlying concept of why such cancer vaccines may be successfully used in treatment is centered upon the idea of tumor-associated antigens. It is thought that in the transformation from the normal to the malignant cell, there are many genetic changes which occur, such as translocations or point mutations, and as a consequence of these genetic alterations, new molecular products are produced by the cell. It is thought that the molecules expressed on the cell surface undergo changes such that new epitopes are present, and that these epitopes are capable of inducing an immune response directed at these new antigens, called tumor-associated antigens. It is considered that these tumor-associated antigens are usually very weak immunogens, that is, they produce a minimal immune response. Therefore, the growing tumor within the patient has not produced an effective immune response directed at these antigens.