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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Mar 22.
Published in final edited form as: Vaccine. 2011 Jul 7;29(38):6485–6497. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.06.088

Table 2.

Advantages and disadvantages of chemotherapy vs. active immunotherapy

Immunotherapy
Advantages Minimal toxicity*
Indirect, immune-mediated antitumor effect.
May work best in patients with minimal tumor burden.
May be effective after completion of treatment.
Disadvantages Delayed effect; may take months.
Unlikely to relieve symptoms.
No intermediate markers of benefit.
Response assessment unclear (irRC in development).
Chemotherapy
Advantages Improved symptoms.
Direct cytotoxic effect.
Potential short-term benefit.
Reliable response criteria (PFS, RECIST).
Disadvantages Toxicity.
Drug resistance may develop.
Tumor growth may resume when therapy is discontinued.
*

Immune-related toxicity can be seen with immune-checkpoint inhibitors like anti-CTLA4 monoclonal antibodies, however therapeutic cancer vaccines have minimal toxicity.