Cancer Vaccines

October 24, 2024

This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by Alexis Boling, MSN-RN, CNML, director, nursing, Immune Effector Cell & Gene Therapy Program, City of Hope^® Cancer Center Duarte

Vaccines are powerful tools to prevent disease, but they are also being developed to treat certain diseases, like cancer.

Most people are familiar with preventive vaccines that work by exposing the body to a small amount of a bacteria, virus or another kind of germ that trains the body’s immune system to recognize and fight it. The next time the body comes in contact with that germ, it is primed to respond. Some of these vaccines even protect against viruses that may cause certain cancers, like HPV (human papillomavirus), which may cause vaginal, vulvar, anal and cervical cancers. Similarly, the hepatitis B vaccine may help protect against liver cancer.

But unlike regular vaccines, which focus on prevention, cancer vaccines are used to treat cancer once it has been diagnosed. If a patient has a cancer that may be treated with a cancer vaccine, his or her health care team may recommend it as a treatment option.

What Is a Cancer Vaccine?

Cancer vaccines are a form of treatment called immunotherapy. These treatment vaccines help strengthen a patient’s immune system so it is better able to recognize and attack cancer cells that have specific molecules on them, called antigens.

Cancer vaccines may be made from a combination of ingredients, including cancer cells, a person’s own cells, proteins or other substances that boost the body’s immune response to recognize antigens on cancer cells.

Vaccines may work to destroy cancer in a number of ways. They may stop cancer from growing larger or spreading to other parts of the body; they may get rid of cancer cells that remain after treatment; and they may prevent cancer from coming back.

Types of Vaccines for Cancer

Several cancer vaccines are approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for cancer. 

Provenge^® (sipuleucel-T): This vaccine is a treatment for advanced prostate cancer that causes few or no symptoms and has not responded to hormone therapy. It is made by using a person’s own immune cells, a protein found on prostate cancer cells and other substances.

Imlygic^® (talimogene laherparepvec or T-VEC): This vaccine is a treatment for advanced melanoma skin cancer or melanoma that comes back after treatment. It is made by changing a herpesvirus in a laboratory so that it only attacks cancer cells, not normal cells.

BCG vaccine: This vaccine, also known as TICE^® BCG, is a treatment for early-stage bladder cancer. It exposes the body to a small amount of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) bacteria to strengthen the immune system and help it fight the cancer.

These are not the only cancer vaccines. Some cancer vaccines may be custom-made for patients by using cells from that person’s own cancer. This teaches their immune system to react to the exact type of cancer cells in their body.

Patients may be candidates for other cancer vaccine treatments for several other cancers, including breast, lung and colorectal cancers, through clinical trials.

How Do Cancer Vaccines Work?

Cancer vaccines work by teaching a patient’s body to recognize and fight cancer cells. Often, this is achieved by training the immune system to identify certain proteins on cancer cells called antigens.

Antigens are proteins on the surface of cells that the body recognizes as harmful. They alert the immune system to attack the cell with the antigen on it. In most cancer cells, these antigens are known as cancer-specific or tumor-associated antigens. Some cancer vaccines are made by taking common cancer-specific antigens and introducing them to a patient’s immune system, giving the immune system more information about how to find and fight those cancer cells.

Provenge^® (sipuleucel-T) works in a similar way, but it uses the patient’s own cells, too. It is made by taking white blood cells, which are a type of immune cell, and changing them in a laboratory to find and fight prostate cancer cells. Then, the altered cells are injected back into the person’s body, where they teach other cells how to find and fight the cancer cells, too.

Imlygic^® (talimogene laherparepvec or T-VEC) is a type of cancer vaccine called an oncolytic virus therapy. A herpesvirus is the base of the vaccine, which is injected directly into a tumor. It targets cancer cells and destroys them without damaging normal cells. The dying cells release substances that may trigger an immune response to cancer throughout the body.

Side Effects of Cancer Vaccines

Cancer vaccines may have some side effects, many of which are similar to flu symptoms. These will depend on the type of vaccine, the dose, the type of cancer the patient has and its stage, as well as his or her overall health.

Some side effects that cancer vaccines may cause include:

• Fever
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting
• Achy muscles or joints
• Trouble breathing
• Changes in blood pressure

Sometimes cancer vaccines may cause serious side effects. Provenge^® (sipuleucel-T) may cause stroke. Imlygic^® (T-VEC) may cause tumor lysis syndrome, which may cause dangerous chemical changes in the blood. It may also cause a herpes infection.

Cancer Vaccines at City of Hope

City of Hope researchers are at the leading edge of cancer vaccine research and innovations. Our scientists are constantly evaluating new cancer vaccine options and improving the efficacy of existing therapies to create more powerful cancer treatments.

Learn more about our cancer vaccine and immunotherapy research