Status of Active Specific Immunotherapy for Stage II, Stage III, and Resected Stage IV Colon Cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. The reported incidence of recurrent disease increases with the stage, and the 5-year survival rate is poor, especially for tumors with regional spread and for late-stage disease. This has prompted the search for more advanced treatment options, and therefore avenues for clinical testing of rationally designed immunotherapeutic strategies, including vaccination, as adjuvant treatment are being explored. In this review, we discuss the study design and results of the clinical trials that have been conducted using active specific immunotherapy in colorectal cancer, including autologous and allogeneic tumor cell vaccines, peptide vaccines, viralvector- based vaccines, and dendritic-cell-based vaccines as well as some future recommendations.