What are the different types of lymphoma vaccines?
Lymphoma vaccines are a form of immunotherapy designed to use a patient’s immune system to provide a generalized, long-lasting attack against their lymphoma. All available lymphoma vaccines are custom-made from each patient’s tumor cells. Researchers are evaluating several different lymphoma vaccines: ldiotype vaccines target a lymphoma “fingerprint” called an idiotype, which is a unique portion of an antibodyterm present only on patient’s lymphoma cells. This is most common type of lymphoma vaccine (See Table the 1 for listing of ongoing trials). Dendritic cell vaccines are made by mixing, or “pulsing,” specialized immune cells called dendritic cells with a sample of a patient’s tumor (either idiotype protein or killed lymphoma cells). Dendritic cells are derived from a patient’s own blood using special laboratory procedures. Tumor cell vaccines consist of pieces of a tumor (either whole, broken apart and/or combined with an immune stimulant) that are injected directly into a patient.
