Vaccines in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Considerable progress in our understanding of the molecular and cellular events that promote growth and progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has dramatically improved the prospects of significantly altering the progression and metastatic potential of renal neoplasms. Cancer vaccination, one form of active specific immunotherapy, represents a promising approach which aims to expand the number of T cells capable of reducing/eradicating the tumor mass, and to induce tumor-specific memory T cells that control tumor recurrence. Over the past decade, a number of vaccine strategies have moved from the bench to the bedside and have now become subject to rigorous clinical investigation. This review will examine the current status of vaccine-based therapy for advanced RCC, discuss their mechanisms of action, and provide information on relevant clinical trials. Also discussed are future applications that seek to enhance the vaccine-mediated T-cell response or to make vaccines applicable to broader patient cohorts.