The purpose of cancer vaccines is to stimulate the body's defenses against cancer by increasing the response of the immune system. Our immune system provides a dynamic protective system against disease from foreign pathogens and from abnormal body cells. Cancer cells are, in essence, normal body cells that have sustained mutations and no longer function properly.
Tumor vaccines usually contain proteins found on or produced by cancer cells. By administering forms of these proteins and other agents that affect the immune system, the vaccine treatment aims to involve the patient's own defenses in the fight to eliminate cancer cells. Immunotherapy is a new field in cancer treatment and prevention, and many strategies are being examined in clinical trials.
The following pages provide information on the immune system and cancer vaccines:
Vaccines to treat cancer:
Vaccines to prevent cancer:
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