Vaccines: an innovative approach to treating cancer.

Recent scientific advances have expanded our understanding of the immune system and its response to malignant cells. Clinical trials are under way that attempt to translate this knowledge into effective cancer therapies. Vaccine therapy, an innovative approach to cancer treatment, attempts to activate the immune system to recognize cancer cells and eliminate them from the body. Preventive vaccines that already have been approved will have an impact on the incidence of certain cancers, and research is ongoing into treatment vaccines for various cancers.