Cancer vaccines and the future of immunotherapy
Vaccines have had a major impact on the control of infectious disease, most recently by helping to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Prophylactic cancer vaccines have prevented several malignancies by protecting against cancer-causing pathogens. By contrast, therapeutic vaccines training the immune system to eliminate established tumours are now showing real promise in clinical settings. In the adjuvant setting, vaccines against melanoma and pancreatic cancer appear to be reducing minimal residual disease and relapse.