The advent of vaccines heralded significant advancements in public health, with the successful eradication of smallpox and rinderpest – a zoonotic disease which caused devastating livestock losses - and the prevention of many other potentially severe infectious diseases like polio and measles. In the field of oncology, the development and implementation of vaccines against hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papillomaviruses (HPV) have substantially reduced the incidence of liver and cervical cancers. The remarkable success of HPV vaccination campaigns suggests that we may be on the verge of witnessing the eradication of cervical cancer, much as vaccines have previously eradicated smallpox, at least in those countries that record full population compliance with vaccination programs. While the success of HBV and HPV vaccines highlights the efficacy of targeting virus-induced cancers, there is a growing impetus to expand vaccine development to address other cancer-related pathogens and even non-infectious tumors. This special issue of Molecular Aspects of Medicine focuses on the innovative and transformative potential of vaccines for cancer prevention and therapy. The reviews in this issue cover a broad spectrum of topics, including basic concepts in this research field, such as the various level of preventive interventions, the types of targetable antigens, the various platforms and formulations of anti-cancer vaccines, the appropriateness of pre-clinical models, and the contribution of comparative oncology. Moreover, further clinical aspects are treated, including the promise of cancer susceptibility syndromes as ideal candidates for anti-cancer vaccination, the advancements in vaccination against breast cancer, the potential of targeting other cancer-related microbes, and much more.
Cavallo, F., Lollini, P. (2025). Vaccines for cancer prevention and treatment. MOLECULAR ASPECTS OF MEDICINE, 101, 1-2 [10.1016/j.mam.2024.101334].
Vaccines for cancer prevention and treatment
Lollini, Pier-Luigi
2025
Abstract
The advent of vaccines heralded significant advancements in public health, with the successful eradication of smallpox and rinderpest – a zoonotic disease which caused devastating livestock losses - and the prevention of many other potentially severe infectious diseases like polio and measles. In the field of oncology, the development and implementation of vaccines against hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papillomaviruses (HPV) have substantially reduced the incidence of liver and cervical cancers. The remarkable success of HPV vaccination campaigns suggests that we may be on the verge of witnessing the eradication of cervical cancer, much as vaccines have previously eradicated smallpox, at least in those countries that record full population compliance with vaccination programs. While the success of HBV and HPV vaccines highlights the efficacy of targeting virus-induced cancers, there is a growing impetus to expand vaccine development to address other cancer-related pathogens and even non-infectious tumors. This special issue of Molecular Aspects of Medicine focuses on the innovative and transformative potential of vaccines for cancer prevention and therapy. The reviews in this issue cover a broad spectrum of topics, including basic concepts in this research field, such as the various level of preventive interventions, the types of targetable antigens, the various platforms and formulations of anti-cancer vaccines, the appropriateness of pre-clinical models, and the contribution of comparative oncology. Moreover, further clinical aspects are treated, including the promise of cancer susceptibility syndromes as ideal candidates for anti-cancer vaccination, the advancements in vaccination against breast cancer, the potential of targeting other cancer-related microbes, and much more.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.