Immunotherapy of cancer: targeting cancer during active disease or during dormancy?

Immunotherapeutic targeting of advanced stage cancers has prolonged the survival of cancer patients, yet its curative efficacy is limited due to tumor immunoediting and escape. On the other hand, human vaccines have been able to eradicate smallpox and control several other infectious diseases. The success has resulted from the administration of vaccines in prophylactic settings, or during latency periods in order to protect an individual during future exposure to the disease rather than curing an established disease. Therefore, administration of immunotherapy at the right time is the key to success. However, instead of focusing on the prevention of cancer, current cancer immunotherapies are often being used in a therapeutic setting with the goal of eliminating tumor cells. The present review of evidence related to cancer immunotherapeutics suggests that immunotherapeutic targeting of tumor dormancy could be more promising than targeting of advanced stage disease to achieve a cure for cancer.