Immune Modulation as a Therapeutic Strategy for Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Active tumor immunotherapy may provide hope for patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) because, in more than 20 years, current therapies have yet to change mortality statistics. Creating an efficacious vaccine involves selection of important tumor antigens and formulation of their immunogenic epitopes into a construct for delivery to antigen-presenting cells. The method of immunization will confer significant properties to the potency of the vaccine and might require augmentation with certain adjuvant agents like interleukin- 12 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. So far, clinical trials in NSCLC immunotherapy have shown promise with the induction of immune responses and the presence of clinical responses compared with historical controls treated with standard therapy. Immunotherapy could merge seamlessly into the current standard of care for NSCLC with the emergence of data supporting a beneficial role of chemotherapy and radiation in the production of antitumor immune responses. With continued work in this field, active immunotherapy may provide the necessary therapy for the successful treatment of this common disease.