NSCLC Vaccines: Mechanism, Efficacy and Side Effects

Abstract

Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer, with more than 2.2 million lung cancer diagnosed cases and more than 1.79 million deaths worldwide in 2020, accounting for approximately 18% of the total cancer deaths, of which non-small cell lung cancer accounts for the majority. Patients with stage I-II NSCLC can be treated by surgery, but most patients have missed the period of radical surgery when they are diagnosed. Cancer vaccines as a type of immunotherapy have low side effects and strong specificity against tumor cells. Cancer vaccines can be broadly classified into three categories: peptide vaccines, cell vaccines, and nucleic acid-based vaccines. Protein/peptide vaccines continue to make up a large percentage of all vaccination types. The main target at the moment is a tumor-associated antigen. The amount of research being done on cell vaccines, particularly DC vaccines, is expanding. NSCLC nucleic acid vaccines, particularly DNA vaccines, are in short supply.