Immunologic Approaches to the Management of Pancreatic Cancer

Dan Laheru, Barbara Biedrzycki, Elizabeth M. Jaffee

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat; very few effective therapies are availabie, with surgery being the sole chance for cure - yet surgery is not a viable option for most pancreatic cancer patients. Immunotherapy has the potential to provide a non-cross-resistant mechanism of antitumor activity that can be integrated with surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. However, the inherent instability of the tumor genome as well as tumor tolerance mechanisms are significant practical obstacles that must be overcome if immune-based approaches for pancreatic cancer can achieve its promise. Recent advances in both tumor immunology and vaccine design have already resulted in promising preliminary data from phase I studies, and additional trials are already in progress. This article summarizes some of the progress and challenges in immunotherapy research.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)324-337
Number of pages14
JournalCancer Journal
Volume7
Issue number4
StatePublished - Jul 1 2001

Keywords

  • Immune tolerance
  • Immunotherapy
  • Pancreatic cancer

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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