Application of dendritic cell vaccine immunotherapy in gynecologic malignancies

The development of antitumor strategies aimed at restoring systemic and local immune regulation is considered one of the most promising directions. Technologies based on dendritic cell vaccines (DCVs), characterized by minimal toxicity and alignment with fundamental immunological mechanisms of antitumor resistance, are of particular interest.

Purpose of the study. Is to evaluate the effectiveness of immunotherapeutic approaches for gynecologic malignancies using DCVs and to outline promising directions for further development.

Materials and methods. A literature search was conducted in the bibliographic registers MEDLINE, ClinicalTrial.gov., eLIBRARY and CyberLeninka, using the search systems PubMed, Google Scholar. The vast majority of the identified sources are indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. The review includes more than 60 publications in Russian and English, over 50 % of which were published within the past five years.

Results. The analysis summarizes data on the clinical outcomes of DCV-based therapy in advanced cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer. Reported beneficial effects include temporary disease stabilization, improved overall survival and quality of life in advanced malignancies, enhanced efficacy of subsequent chemotherapy, and occasional cases of partial or complete remission. The review also addresses potential reasons for the limited efficacy of DCVs, as well as possible combinations of this technology with other immunotherapeutic modalities and traditional anticancer treatments. The currently modest therapeutic effectiveness of DCVs in gynecologic cancers may be attributed both to the insufficient maturity of the technology and to inherent mechanisms of tumor immune evasion.

Conclusion. The therapeutic potential of DCVs has not yet been fully realized. Advances in immunotherapy, molecular biology, nanotechnology, and strategies for activating systemic and local antitumor resistance mechanisms provide a foundation for defining future research priorities aimed at improving the efficacy of DCVs as an important component of multimodal treatment for gynecologic malignancies.

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