Immunotherapy Approaches Focusing on Cancer Stem Cells

Metastasis and relapses are still one of the main causes of death in many cancer patients, and they probably occur since cytotoxic chemotherapy as well as the the stress from surgery itself can impair the steady immunological state, the ability to develop an antitumor immune response and also because of poor cancer stem cells (CSC) elimination. CSC appear to use features of both cancer cells and stem cells, including self-renewal and resistance to apoptosis for survival and proliferation, making cancer elimination even more difficult, which then becomes a potential therapeutic target. In this scenario, the successful generation of immunity is the key that can help fight against cancer. Techniques such as monoclonal antibodies, dendritic cell vaccine, and adoptive T cell therapies have been developed, targeting CSC to eliminate tumor mass. In this chapter, some features and aspects of CSC, as well as their relation with patients’ prognosis and therapeutic values, will be listed.

Keywords: Anti-tumor response, Cancer stem cells, Immunotherapy, Inflammation, Vaccines.