A 5-Year Update on the Clinical Development of Cancer Cell-Based Vaccines for Glioblastoma Multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is considered one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer with a 15-month median survival, despite advancements in surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The immune-suppressed tumor microenvironment and the blood–brain barrier are major contributors to its poor p...

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Main Authors: Almohanad A. Alkayyal, Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Pharmaceuticals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/3/376
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author Almohanad A. Alkayyal
Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud
author_facet Almohanad A. Alkayyal
Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud
author_sort Almohanad A. Alkayyal
collection DOAJ
description Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is considered one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer with a 15-month median survival, despite advancements in surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The immune-suppressed tumor microenvironment and the blood–brain barrier are major contributors to its poor prognosis and treatment resistance. In the last decade, significant progress has been made in developing cell-based vaccines to boost immune responses against GBM. This review provides an extensive update on recent clinical trials involving various cancer cell vaccines, including ICT-107, the α-type-1 DC vaccine, and others. Although these trials have demonstrated potential improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), the diverse and immune-suppressed nature of GBM poses challenges for consistent therapeutic success. We discuss the details of these trials along with the potential mechanism of vaccine efficacy and immune activations. The findings of these trials highlight the significance of a personalized immunotherapy approach and suggest that patient stratification could significantly advance the clinical management of GBM.
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spelling doaj-art-4bdc3e94b5414eaf9f42f20e004ba81a2025-08-20T03:43:37ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472025-03-0118337610.3390/ph18030376A 5-Year Update on the Clinical Development of Cancer Cell-Based Vaccines for Glioblastoma MultiformeAlmohanad A. Alkayyal0Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud1Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Madinah 41477, Saudi ArabiaGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is considered one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer with a 15-month median survival, despite advancements in surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The immune-suppressed tumor microenvironment and the blood–brain barrier are major contributors to its poor prognosis and treatment resistance. In the last decade, significant progress has been made in developing cell-based vaccines to boost immune responses against GBM. This review provides an extensive update on recent clinical trials involving various cancer cell vaccines, including ICT-107, the α-type-1 DC vaccine, and others. Although these trials have demonstrated potential improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), the diverse and immune-suppressed nature of GBM poses challenges for consistent therapeutic success. We discuss the details of these trials along with the potential mechanism of vaccine efficacy and immune activations. The findings of these trials highlight the significance of a personalized immunotherapy approach and suggest that patient stratification could significantly advance the clinical management of GBM.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/3/376GBMcancer cell vaccinecell lysateDC vaccineimmunotherapy
spellingShingle Almohanad A. Alkayyal
Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud
A 5-Year Update on the Clinical Development of Cancer Cell-Based Vaccines for Glioblastoma Multiforme
Pharmaceuticals
GBM
cancer cell vaccine
cell lysate
DC vaccine
immunotherapy
title A 5-Year Update on the Clinical Development of Cancer Cell-Based Vaccines for Glioblastoma Multiforme
title_full A 5-Year Update on the Clinical Development of Cancer Cell-Based Vaccines for Glioblastoma Multiforme
title_fullStr A 5-Year Update on the Clinical Development of Cancer Cell-Based Vaccines for Glioblastoma Multiforme
title_full_unstemmed A 5-Year Update on the Clinical Development of Cancer Cell-Based Vaccines for Glioblastoma Multiforme
title_short A 5-Year Update on the Clinical Development of Cancer Cell-Based Vaccines for Glioblastoma Multiforme
title_sort 5 year update on the clinical development of cancer cell based vaccines for glioblastoma multiforme
topic GBM
cancer cell vaccine
cell lysate
DC vaccine
immunotherapy
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/3/376
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