Cancer vaccines at an inflexion point: what next?

With the approval of the first therapeutic cancer vaccines for veterinarian and human use, the field reached a significant milestone after a considerable interval of tumultuous research and development marked by numerous ups and downs. As the mechanism of action and clinical benefit afforded by this class of agents are starkly different from that of conventional or small targeted therapies for cancer, there are still numerous hurdles that need to be overcome to fully unleash their potential. These challenges and efforts are illustrated in a book just published on this subject, a non-exhaustive yet representative synopsis of the latest advances in cancer vaccine technologies in various stages of development. Major lessons resulting from clinical testing of cancer vaccines and other immune interventions, are being integrated in novel, cutting edge platform technologies that blur the distinction between passive and active immunotherapies as well as carry the promise of fundamentally changing and improving the management of patients with cancer.