Immunotherapy – Perspectives of Application in theTherapy of Ovarian Carcinomas

Overview

Objective:
To summarise recent knowledge and clinical studies of immunotherapy in the treatmentof malignant ovarian epithelial tumors.Design: A literature review.Setting: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Charles University Prague, 2nd MedicalFaculty, University Hospital Motol. Department of Immunology Charles University Prague, 2ndMedical Faculty, University Hospital Motol.Abstract: Combination of surgery and chemotherapy has been the usual standard of therapeuticprotocols in ovarian cancer patients. However, this therapy is still not suffi cient to eliminateall of the tumour cells. Immunotherapy seems to be an effective approach in combination withsurgery and chemotherapy. Immunotherapy includes three types of strategies: cytokine therapy,monoclonal antibody therapy and vaccine therapy, especially vaccines with dendritic cells. Allof them are shortly reviewed in this article. IFNα, IFNγ, IL-2, GM-CSF are examples of cytokinetherapy. Representatives of monoclonal antibody therapy include trastuzumab (monoclonalantibody against HER-2/neu peptide, MAb B.43.13 (antibody against CA 125), or radiolabeledantibody – pemtumomab (90Yttrium-CC49). Cancer vaccination is used in experiments becauseit should be effective in presenting tumour cells as foreign cells to effector cells of the immunesystem. Otherwise, tumour cells are not usually recognised by the immune system as dangerouscells. The effi ciency of immunotherapy depends on tumor size and previous therapy. It seems tobe effective in potentiation of primary chemotherapy or as a consolidation treatment of minimalresidual disease. Immunotherapy is still at the experimental level, but in the future it could bea useful part of protocols for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Key words:
immunotherapy, ovarian cancer, primary therapy, consolidation therapy