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Autologous Tumor Cell

An autologous tumor cell is a cancer cell from an individual's own tumor. It can be used to create a vaccine to a specific cancer. Whole cells, parts of cells, or antigens the body has developed can be used to make the vaccine. This vaccine, when injected into your bodey, can trigger your immune system to attack the cancer cells of that specific tumor.

Vaccines made of autologous tumor cells are also very specific, attacking only the cancer cells instead of creating a generalized immune response. No cancer vaccines have yet been approved in the US, though many are under study in clinical trials.

Autologous tumor cells are removed during surgery, and they are killed, typically with radiation, so that they can't create more tumors. New genes or chemicals may also be added so that the cancer cannot infect other cells, but the antigens of that tumor cell are unaffected so the immune system can recognize them.

Whole autologous tumor cells are generally better than parts of the cell because we have not yet identified all the cancer antigens; by using the whole cells, the cancer patient's body can form antibodies even to the antigens we don't know about yet.

Web Resources On Autologous Tumor Cell

Vaccination with irradiated autologous tumor cells
Delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity to autologous tumor cells

Book Resources On Autologous Tumor Cell

Atlas of Human Tumor Cell Lines by Robert K.M. Hay et al
High-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow or stem cell reconstitution for solid tumors by William P. McGuire

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