Research Progress on Vaccines for Urinary System Tumors

Urinary system tumors are a group of tumors that occur in the kidney, ureter, bladder and urethra, of which bladder cancer is the most common, followed by renal cancer. Painless gross hematuria is the most important warning signal. Smoking is the primary preventable risk factor. Diagnosis relies on imaging and endoscopic biopsy. The treatment mainly involves surgery, combined with various methods such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy (systemic or bladder infusion), targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.

Cancer vaccines emerge as a promising novel therapeutic modality, embodying a dual-pronged tumor management strategy. Preventive vaccines (e.g., HPV vaccines) block infections with oncogenic pathogens, whereas therapeutic ones elicit antitumor immunity via tumor antigen presentation to T cells. Current clinical research prioritizes two vaccine classes: dendritic cell-based formulations (e.g., sipuleucel-T for prostate cancer) and personalized neoantigen vaccines tailored to individual tumors’ unique mutational landscapes. Notably, these vaccines synergize potently with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) by counteracting the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Cancer vaccines offer distinct advantages, including a favorable safety profile and the potential to induce long-term immune memory. Nevertheless, several challenges remain: tumor antigen heterogeneity restricts the development of universal targets; the weak immunogenicity of shared antigens (e.g., MAGE-A3 in NSCLC) compromises therapeutic efficacy; tumors can escape immune surveillance via Treg activation or the downregulation of antigen presentation pathways; and manufacturing processes are associated with considerable complexity and cost. Current clinical trials are exploring novel delivery platforms and combination therapeutic strategies to maximize clinical benefits.

This research topic presents a systematic overview of recent advances in antibody-based immunotherapy for urinary system tumors, with a focus on cancer vaccine research and translational development. Its core objectives are to consolidate existing knowledge in this domain, facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration between basic and clinical researchers, and inspire cutting-edge investigations to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients with urinary system tumors. By addressing key unresolved questions and validating novel testable hypotheses, this research topic advances the fundamental understanding and clinical translation of immunotherapy for these tumors.

To gather further insights in the realm of antibody-based immunotherapy for urinary system tumors, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
-Antibody-based immunotherapy strategies for urinary system tumors (preclinical, clinical, translational studies)
-Mechanisms of antibody therapeutics and molecular/cellular drivers of therapy resistance
-Novel therapeutic targets and innovative frameworks for antibody-based immunotherapy
-Development and evaluation of antibody-combination regimens (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, immunomodulators)
-Urinary system tumor vaccines: antigen discovery/validation, design, preclinical/clinical translation
-Biomarker identification/validation for patient stratification, response prediction, and outcome monitoring
-Safety profiles of antibody immunotherapies and management of immune-related adverse events
-Challenges, opportunities, and prospects of antibody-based immunotherapy for urinary system tumors

Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Vaccines, urinary system tumors, kidney cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.