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Therapeutic cancer vaccines

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 4, pages 623–624 (2005)Cite this article

Unmet needs across the oncology market remain high, with most traditional therapies representing a trade-off between levels of specificity, efficacy and toxicity. The development of therapeutic cancer vaccines, designed to confer active, specific immunotherapy directed against tumour-associated antigens (TAAs), could be the ideal solution for the successful eradication of some cancers. Cancer vaccines offer the prospect of high specificity, low toxicity and prolonged activity. However, although there is a solid technical and scientific rationale behind the development of vaccines, this theory has yet to be consistently translated into clinical practice and, to date, most cancer vaccines have been associated with high rates of clinical failure. Beyond scientific hurdles, the relative immaturity and lack of precedence in the cancer vaccine market has also brought to light an entirely new spectrum of clinical, regulatory and strategic challenges.

Challenges in an unprecedented market

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Figure 1: Antigen-specific cancer vaccines dominate all phases of development.
Figure 2: Potential value of the cancer vaccine market, 2005–2014.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. An Oncology Analyst at Datamonitor Healthcare, Charles House, 108–110 Finchley Road, London, NW3 5JJ, UK

    Fleur Pijpers M.Eng.

  2. Lead Oncology Analyst at Datamonitor Healthcare, Charles House, 108–110 Finchley Road, London, NW3 5JJ, UK

    Richard Faint M.B.A., Ph.D.

  3. Senior Oncology Analyst at Datamonitor Healthcare, Charles House, 108–110 Finchley Road, London, NW3 5JJ, UK

    Nish Saini Pharm.D.

Authors
  1. Fleur Pijpers M.Eng.
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  2. Richard Faint M.B.A., Ph.D.
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  3. Nish Saini Pharm.D.
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Pijpers, F., Faint, R. & Saini, N. Therapeutic cancer vaccines. Nat Rev Drug Discov 4, 623–624 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd1802

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