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Heat shock proteins (HSP) are expressed at high levels in cancer and form a fostering environment that is essential for tumor development. Here, we review the recent data in this area, concentrating mainly on Hsp27, Hsp70, and Hsp90. The overriding role of HSPs in cancer is to stabilize the active functions of overexpressed and mutated cancer genes. Thus, elevated HSPs are required for many of the traits that underlie the morbidity of cancer, including increased growth, survival, and formation of secondary cancers. In addition, HSPs participate in the evolution of cancer treatment resistance. HSPs are also released from cancer cells and influence malignant properties by receptor-mediated signaling. Current data strongly support efforts to target HSPs in cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular chaperone-based vaccines offer a number of advantages for cancer treatment. We have discussed the deployment of a vaccine prepared by gentle isolation of Hsp70 from tumour dendritic cell fusions (Hsp70 fusion vaccine). The vaccine was highly effective in triggering specific T cell immunity and in the treatment of tumour-bearing mice and the preparation was shown to retain an increased amount of tumour antigens compared to other chaperone-based isolates. This approach has the further advantage that tumour sub-populations could be used to prepare the Hsp70 fusion vaccine. Cellular fusion vaccines were made to specifically target drug-resistant cancer cells and tumour cell populations enriched in ovarian cancer stem cells (CSC). Such vaccines showed enhanced capacity to trigger T cell immunity to these resistant ovarian carcinoma populations. We have discussed the potential of using the cellular and Hsp70 fusion vaccine approaches in therapy of treatment-resistant cancer cells and its deployment in combination with ionising radiation or hyperthermia to enhance the effectiveness of both forms of therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive and notoriously difficult to treat. As the vastmajority of patients are diagnosed at advanced stage of the disease, only a small population is curative by surgical resection. Although gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is typically offered as standard of care, most patients do not survive longer than 6 months. Thus, new therapeutic approaches are needed. Pancreatic cancer cells that develop gemcitabine resistance would still be suitable targets for immunotherapy. Therefore, one promising treatment approach may be immunotherapy that is designed to target pancreatic-cancer-associated antigens. In this paper, we detail recent work in immunotherapy and the advances in concept of combination therapy of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. We offer our perspective on how to increase the clinical efficacy of immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]