Epidermal growth factor vaccine in non-small-cell lung cancer

After many years of uncertainty regarding the role of immunotherapy in cancer, we finally have vaccines approved for the treatment of some malignancies (e.g., prostate cancer and melanoma). In non-small-cell lung cancer, several vaccines are being studied in randomized Phase III clinical trials due to their promising results seen in the clinic, such as BLP-25 and melanoma-associated antigen A3. Traditionally, non-small-cell lung cancer has not been considered a good target for immunotherapy due to lack of immunogenicity and the strong presence of regulatory T cells, which do not allow an adequate immune response in the host. EGF vaccination is a novel area of immunotherapy for this disease. Thus far, there has been success in generating immune and clinical responses with this vaccine in several clinical trials, and we will review in depth the efficacy and toxicity of this novel agent.