Tumor cell‐derived vaccines: Advances, challenges, and future prospects

Abstract Tumors pose an enormous burden to human health due to their high incidence and mortality rates, constituting a major global public health concern. Tumor immunotherapy is a revolutionary treatment for patients with complicated conditions or for those who have not responded well to conventional treatment. Vaccine technology effectively prevents infectious diseases, and tumor vaccines have been recently demonstrated to have significant potential as a tumor therapy. Antigens for tumor vaccines can be derived from several different types of tumor cell materials, including entire cells, cell lysates, cell vesicles, and cell membranes. The selection and optimization of antigens are critical for vaccine effectiveness, as they should trigger a precise immune system defensive response against a specific pathogen (or cells) without producing overwhelming negative side effects. They should precisely trigger the immune system's defensive responses against specific pathogens or cells without producing overwhelming negative side effects. Supported by a robust theoretical basis and substantial preclinical evidence, tumor cell‐derived vaccines hold considerable potential for future research and clinical translation. This review introduces the current state of tumor cell‐derived vaccines, discusses their limitations, and explores future pathways to their advancement. Tumor cell‐derived vaccines may emerge as a novel strategy for the treatment of cancer, allowing patients to have more effective treatment options.