Cancer Immunology

The past decade has seen immunotherapy rise to the forefront of cancer treatment. This Special Issue of Cancers aims to elaborate on the latest developments, cutting-edge technologies, and prospects in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Seventeen exceptional studies, including original contributions and review articles, written by international scientists and physicians, primarily concerning the fields of tumor biology, cancer immunology, therapeutics, and drug development, comprise the main body of this Special Issue.

Delivery Technologies for Immuno-Oncology: Volume 1: Delivery Strategies and Engineering Technologies in Cancer Immunotherapy examines the challenges of delivering immuno-oncology therapies. Immuno-oncology (IO) is a growing field of medicine at the interface of immunology and cancer biology leading to development of novel therapeutic approaches, such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) and immune checkpoint blockade antibodies, that are clinically approved approaches for cancer therapy. Although currently approved IO approaches have shown tremendous promise for select types of cancers, broad application of IO strategies could even further improve the clinical success, especially for diseases such as pancreatic cancer, brain tumors where the success of IO so far has been limited. Nanotechnology-based targeted delivery strategies could improve the delivery efficiency of IO agents as well as provide additional avenues for novel therapeutic and vaccination strategies. Additionally, a number of locally-administered immunogenic scaffolds and therapeutic strategies, such as the use of STING agonist, could benefit from rationally designed biomaterials and delivery approaches. Delivery Technologies for Immuno-Oncology: Volume 1: Delivery Strategies and Engineering Technologies in Cancer Immunotherapy creates a comprehensive treaty that engages the scientific and medical community who are involved in the challenges of immunology, cancer biology, and therapeutics with possible solutions from the nanotechnology and drug delivery side. Comprehensive treaty covering all aspects of immuno-oncology (IO) Novel strategies for delivery of IO therapeutics and vaccines Forecasting on the future of nanotechnology and drug delivery for IO

A comprehensive account of cancer immunity and immunotherapy, examining recent results, current areas of interest and the specific issues that are affecting the research and development of vaccines. It provides insight into how these problems may be overcome as viewed by leaders in the field.

"This book focusing on the immunopathology of cancers is published as part of the three-volume Springer series Cancer Immunology, which aims to provide an up-to-date, clinically relevant review of cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Readers will find detailed descriptions of the interactions between cancerous cells and various components of the innate and adaptive immune system. The principal focus, however, is very much on clinical aspects, the aim being to educate clinicians in the clinical implications of the latest research and novel developments in the field. In the new edition of this very well received book, first published in 2015, the original chapters have been significantly updated and additional chapters included on, for example, current knowledge on the roles of T-helper cells and NK cells in tumor immunity, the part played by oncoviruses in the development of various cancers, and the applications of fluorescent in situ hybridization, bioluminescence, and cancer molecular and functional imaging"--Publisher's description.

The interplay between tumors and their immunologic microenvironment is complex, difficult to decipher, but its understanding is of seminal importance for the development of novel prognostic markers and therapeutic strategies. The present review discusses tumor-immune interactions in several human cancers that illustrate various aspects of this complexity and proposes an integrated scheme of the impact of local immune reactions on clinical outcome. Current active immunotherapy trials have shown durable tumor regressions in a fraction of patients. However, clinical efficacy of current vaccines is limited, possibly because tumors skew the immune system by means of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, inflammatory type 2 T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs), all of which prevent the generation of effector cells. To improve the clinical efficacy of cancer vaccines in patients with metastatic disease, we need to design novel and improved strategies that can boost adaptive immunity to cancer, help overcome Tregs and allow the breakdown of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

This book provides patients and their physicians (especially “non-oncologist” health care providers) with a clear and concise introduction to cancer immunotherapy, which, unlike traditional forms of cancer therapy, acts by boosting the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. The unique features of cancer immunotherapy make its management, monitoring and side-effects different from those of traditional cancer therapy. Especially novel are the side effects of cancer immunotherapy, necessitating greater awareness for both patients and physicians in order to minimize complications of therapy. The patient-friendly, concise, easy-to-understand, and up-to-date knowledge presented in this book will inform patients about the benefits and risks of cancer immunotherapy, and help them and their care providers to understand how immunotherapy would control their unique disease. Researchers and academic professionals in the field of cancer immunotherapy will also find clear and useful information to help them communicate with patients or address unresolved problems. Some key features of the book are: Expertise. All editors and authors are scientists and oncologists specializing in cancer immunotherapy, and are involved in scientific discovery from the early stage of immune-checkpoint inhibitors to today’s daily patient care. Their insights, expertise and experience guarantee the high quality and authority in the science, medicine and practice of cancer immunotherapy. Patient-friendly. This book is written for cancer patients in order to meet their needs when considering immunotherapy. As an educational tool, this book will help the reader balance the risks and benefits based on both science and clinical facts, and therefore to make the best choice in receiving or withdrawing from immunotherapy. Disease Specificity. Cancer is a complicated disease involving multiple stages and pathology. Its response to immunotherapy is individualized and varies depending on cancer types. The authors’ expertise in treating different types of cancers, including melanoma, lung, kidney, bladder, and lymphoma, provides disease-specific insights in applying immunotherapy to each disease.

Cancer Immunotherapy Principles and Practice, from the Society of Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), is the authoritative reference on cancer immunobiology and the immunotherapy treatments that harness the immune system to combat malignant disease. Featuring five sections and over 50 chapters covering the Basic Principles of Tumor Immunology, Cancer Immunotherapy Targets and Classes, Immune Function in Cancer Patients, Disease Specific Treatments and Outcomes, and Regulatory Aspects of Cancer Immunotherapy, this book covers all major topics that have shaped the development of immunotherapy and propelled it to its current place at the forefront of cancer treatment innovation. This volume is a comprehensive resource for oncologists and fellows, immunologists, cancer researchers, and related practitioners seeking understanding of the basic science and clinical applications of cancer immunotherapy. As well as presenting the evidence for immune-based cancer treatment, it positions immunotherapy in the context of other available cancer treatments and provides data on response rates, risks, and toxicities across a variety of diseases. Filled with detailed tables, and instructive illustrations, as well as key points for quick reference, Cancer Immunotherapy Principles and Practice simplifies a challenging and dynamic subject. Key Features: Clearly summarizes the basic principles and research supporting cancer immunotherapy clinical translation Contains expert guidance and treatment strategies for all immunotherapy classes and agents, including cell-based therapies, monoclonal antibodies, cytokine therapies, checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viruses, adjuvant approaches, and treatment combinations Includes expert perspectives from leading authorities in the field Provides information on all FDA-approved immunotherapies, including clinical management and outcome data Discusses clinical aspects of immunotherapy for individual cancer types, including melanoma and other skin cancers, lung cancers, gynecologic cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, hematologic cancers, genitourinary cancers, head and neck cancers, sarcomas, brain and other CNS cancers, breast cancer, and pediatric malignancies. Explains regulatory aspects behind the development and approval of immunotherapy drugs Includes Online Access to the Digital Book

Therapeutic cancer vaccines represent a type of active cancer immunotherapy. Clinicians, scientists, and researchers working on cancer treatment require evidence-based and up-to-date resources relating to therapeutic cancer vaccines. Vaccines for Cancer Immunotherapy provides a reference for cancer treatment for clinicians and presents a well-organized resource for determining high-potential research areas. The book considers that this promising modality can be made more feasible as a treatment for cancer. Chapters cover cancer immunology, general approaches to cancer immunotherapy, vaccines, tumor antigens, the strategy of allogeneic and autologous cancer vaccines, personalized vaccines, whole-tumor antigen vaccines, protein and peptide vaccines, dendritic cell vaccines, genetic vaccines, candidate cancers for vaccination, obstacles to developing therapeutic cancer vaccines, combination therapy, future perspectives and concluding remarks on therapeutic cancer vaccines. Introduces the feasible immunotherapeutic vaccines for patients with different types of cancer Presents the status of past and current vaccines for cancer treatment Considers advantages and disadvantages of different therapeutic cancer vaccines Looks at the combination of vaccines and other modalities, including immunotherapeutic and conventional methods Analyzes obstacles to development of therapeutic cancer vaccines Gives a view on future perspectives in the application of therapeutic cancer vaccines