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University of Rome Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
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Editor’s note: Trastuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody to HER2, is routinely used in the clinic for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancers. The fact that passive antibody therapy directed at HER2 can be effective suggests that active immunotherapy against HER2 could also be an efficient form of therapy. Attenuated Vaccinia virus was used in the vaccination against small pox, and is being used in a number of clinical trials to deliver tumor-associated antigens. The Vaccinia containing the specific antigen is usually administered systemically; however, there is a considerable amount of evidence from immunotherapy trials that delivery of the antigen directly into the tumor is the most effective route.