Current status of human melanoma vaccines. Can they control malignant melanoma?

The characterisation of human melanomas as immunogenic and the observation of spontaneous regression have led to the development of active specific immunotherapy in the form of vaccines for treatment of malignant melanoma. These vaccines have recently been the subject of considerable interest, particularly since the introduction of melanoma antigen cloning, the identification of specific peptide sequences recognised by the immune system, and better understanding of antigen presentation. Today, melanoma vaccines are a significant therapeutic agent in treatment of malignant melanoma. There are many melanoma vaccines that are in clinical trials which have produced very encouraging clinical responses. This review discusses the different forms of melanoma vaccines used in the 1990s and their current status in clinical trials.