{"title":"Recent advances in therapeutic cancer vaccines","authors":"Neeha Zaidi, Elizabeth M. Jaffee, Mark Yarchoan","doi":"10.1038/s41568-025-00820-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>The success of cancer prevention vaccines targeting cancer-causing viruses has drastically reduced cancer mortality worldwide. However, the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines, which aim to elicit an immune response directly against cancer cells, has faced notable clinical setbacks. In this Review, we explore lessons learned from past cancer vaccine trials and how the field has progressed into an era of renewed promise. Previous vaccines primarily targeted tumour-associated antigens and were mainly tested as monotherapies in late-stage cancers. In contrast, contemporary vaccines focus on targeting tumour-specific antigens (neoantigens) and are showing initial evidence of clinical efficacy, particularly in early-stage cancers and precancers when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Advances in tumour profiling and novel vaccine platforms have enhanced vaccine specificity and potency. We discuss recent clinical trials of therapeutic cancer vaccines and outline future directions for the field.</p>","PeriodicalId":19055,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Cancer","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":72.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Reviews Cancer","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-025-00820-z","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ONCOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The success of cancer prevention vaccines targeting cancer-causing viruses has drastically reduced cancer mortality worldwide. However, the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines, which aim to elicit an immune response directly against cancer cells, has faced notable clinical setbacks. In this Review, we explore lessons learned from past cancer vaccine trials and how the field has progressed into an era of renewed promise. Previous vaccines primarily targeted tumour-associated antigens and were mainly tested as monotherapies in late-stage cancers. In contrast, contemporary vaccines focus on targeting tumour-specific antigens (neoantigens) and are showing initial evidence of clinical efficacy, particularly in early-stage cancers and precancers when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Advances in tumour profiling and novel vaccine platforms have enhanced vaccine specificity and potency. We discuss recent clinical trials of therapeutic cancer vaccines and outline future directions for the field.
期刊介绍:
Nature Reviews Cancer, a part of the Nature Reviews portfolio of journals, aims to be the premier source of reviews and commentaries for the scientific communities it serves. The correct abbreviation for abstracting and indexing purposes is Nat. Rev. Cancer. The international standard serial numbers (ISSN) for Nature Reviews Cancer are 1474-175X (print) and 1474-1768 (online). Unlike other journals, Nature Reviews Cancer does not have an external editorial board. Instead, all editorial decisions are made by a team of full-time professional editors who are PhD-level scientists. The journal publishes Research Highlights, Comments, Reviews, and Perspectives relevant to cancer researchers, ensuring that the articles reach the widest possible audience due to their broad scope.