# Advances in Vaccine-Based Therapies for Pancreatic Cancer

Review · Matthew T. McMillan, Kevin C. Soares

- Archive id: doi:10.1007/s12029-025-01165-4
- Published: 2025-02-12
- Venue: Journal of Gastrointestinal Cancer
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-025-01165-4
- PMID: 39939414
- Citations: 17
- Source URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-025-01165-4
- PDF: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12029-025-01165-4.pdf
- Provenance: openalex

## Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most lethal cancers, with a 5-year survival rate that has improved only marginally over the past 30 years, despite numerous clinical trials. PDAC poses several unique challenges, including early metastatic spread and a predilection for liver metastasis. It is also highly resistant to anti-tumor immunity and immunotherapy due to its dense and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, low immunogenicity, and systemic immune suppression. PDAC has a low mutational burden, defective antigen presentation, and immune checkpoint molecule upregulation, which reduce immune recognition. Together, these factors leave PDAC as an "immune cold" tumor with minimal cytotoxic T-cell activity. Novel therapeutic approaches are urgently needed to reinvigorate anti-tumor immunity. Recent advances, such as adjuvant personalized mRNA neoantigen vaccines and mutant-KRAS targeted vaccines, have demonstrated sustained vaccine-induced T cell responses that are associated with improved recurrence-free survival in surgically resected PDAC. Combining different vaccine approaches with optimal sequencing of chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and other immunotherapies may further enhance outcomes. PDAC vaccines represent a promising strategy for overcoming PDAC's resistance to conventional therapies, with ongoing trials exploring their potential to improve long-term survival.

_Abstract reproduced under CC-BY (publisher license, via OpenAlex)._

Topics: [mRNA Therapeutics & Cancer Vaccines](https://space-kitty.com/topics/mrna-cancer-vaccines)

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