Immunotherapy in gynecological oncology [Immuntherapie in der gynäkologischen onkologie]

Given the limits of conventional therapeutic regimens, there is an urgent need to investigate alternative treatment approaches for the improvement of quality of life in patients with gynecological tumors. An attractive option is to engage the patient's own immune system to eradicate tumor cells and to induce immunological memory mechanisms, which efficiently prevent the development of new tumors. The considerable progress made in molecular immunology has led to an ongoing search for new strategies in tumor vaccination. The results of clinical studies generally show the immune activity and safety of various tumor vaccines, although until now potent clinical success is missing. However, the identification of crucial weak points in current concepts opens new pathways for combinatory therapy modalities simultaneously affecting different steps of host-tumor interactions. © Springer Medizin Verlag 2006.