A major reason
chemotherapy fails in
cancer treatment is drug resistance. New targets against
chemotherapy resistance have been developed with the identification of molecular pathways in drug resistance. These targets are
proteins that are highly expressed in human
gliomas and are known to be
tumor antigens. The immune system produces specialized white blood cells called dendritic cells (DCs). DCs are the most potent antigen-presenting cell of the immune system. DCs have demonstrated the ability to stimulate
antibodies and cell-mediated immune responses against
tumor antigens.
Immunotherapy has emerged as a novel treatment strategy for
gliomas with
tumor antigens serving as the driving force. Clinical
immunotherapy trials for
glioma patients using vaccinations made of
tumor antigens combined with dendritic cells ex vivo have shown promising results. DC vaccinations may increase sensitivity to
chemotherapy, as demonstrated by a significant increase in 2-year survival rates in patients with
malignant gliomas who received
chemotherapy after
immunotherapy (51). The use of DC vaccinations to increase sensitivity of
tumor cells to
chemotherapy can be rationalized as a novel strategy. Hence, this review will focus on the recent advances in the identification of
tumor-associated
antigens in
gliomas, as well as their biological function related to drug resistance. The current research status and the future direction of DC
vaccines to treat
glioma in animal models and clinical trials will also be discussed.