Definition

A dendritic cell (DC)-based cancer vaccine composed of autologous DCs pulsed with tumor cell lysates from a colorectal cancer patient containing tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), with potential immunostimulatory and antineoplastic activities. Upon administration, autologous colorectal tumor antigen-pulsed DC vaccine exposes the immune system to colorectal tumor cell antigens, which may result in cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated immune responses against the colorectal cancer cells. This leads to cancer cell lysis. The tumor cell lysate contains a range of antigens that are essential for the neoplastic growth and survival of the cancer cells.