The present disclosure provides methods for using
a peptide of an oncogenic
protein to reverse immune suppression, cause stronger immune responses, lower
cancer recurrence rates, and lengthen
disease-free survival. The suppressed
immune state can be due to prior treatments, including but not limited to
surgery,
chemotherapy, antibodies targeting the oncogenic
protein, high levels of expression of the oncogenic
protein, or combination thereof. It has been demonstrated that if GM-CSF is administered to patients without the
peptide from the oncogenic protein, such as in the control group of a
clinical study, the immune response to GM-CSF alone is lower when compared to patients who are not treated with an
antibody to the oncogenic protein and who do not have high levels of expression of the oncogenic protein: their
immune state is suppressed, recurrence rate is higher, and
disease free survival is lower, which are all reversed by the addition of the
peptide.