Vaccine trials to prevent advanced breast cancer begin

This story was originally published by 19th October 27, 2021.

Researchers have begun research on a vaccine that hopes to be the first vaccine to ultimately prevent triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and deadly form of triple-negative breast cancer. This study presents important steps in developing preventive options for this type of cancer that affect imbalances in blacks and people under the age of 40.

Triple-negative breast cancer cells are tested negative for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and excess HER2 protein. This is a property that makes it easier to receive more targeted treatment.

About 80% of breast cancers that occur in women with mutations in the BRCA1 gene are triple-negative breast cancers. African-American women are about twice as likely to be diagnosed with triple-negative cancer as white women and are about 28% more likely to die of triple-negative cancer.

“There is a great need to improve treatments for triple-negative breast cancer, which is hampered by the lack of actual treatment targets,” G. Thomas Bad, lead researcher for the study, said at a press conference Tuesday. rice field. “Although only about 15% of all breast cancers, triple-negative breast cancer has an disproportionately high rate of breast cancer mortality.”

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Bad and other experts at the Learner Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio have begun Phase I trials, funded by the Department of Defense, to be completed in September 2022. This first study involves 18 to 24 patients who finished treatment early. -Triple-negative breast cancer has developed within the last 3 years and is currently tumor-free but at high risk of recurrence. To recruit a racially diverse population for research, researchers are reaching out to Cleveland City’s medical facilities and the Cleveland Clinic site near the state-wide color community.

The vaccine targets lactating proteins that are expressed in the majority of cases of triple-negative breast cancer, said Vincent Tuohy, the lead inventor and immunologist of the vaccine at the Learner Institute at Cleveland Clinic. He added that the vaccine is designed to help the immune system destroy tumors when they appear and prevent them from growing.

If the initial trial is successful, it will be followed by additional research stages and FDA review. Mass development and distribution of triple-negative vaccines will still take years, according to researchers, but so far they have been optimistic about the findings. At this point, the cancer vaccine space is primarily focused on therapeutic vaccines, which train the body to attack cancer cells, rather than preventative vaccines, Tuohy said.

He linked his thoughts to what he saw in the immunization of children. Twenty years ago, Tuohy said, “I realized that the field of cancer vaccines is focused on therapeutic vaccines.” In contrast, he said, “The entire pediatric vaccine program targeting 16 different pathogens is a preventive program,” focusing on preventing the disease from taking root.

He hopes that this triple-negative vaccine can be used prophylactically. Previous preclinical studies have shown that this vaccine strategy is safe and effective in preventing breast cancer in mice. Studies have shown that a single vaccination not only suppresses the growth of existing breast tumors, but can also prevent the development of breast tumors when given prophylactically.

“The secret was to find a way to introduce immunity to the cancer before it develops,” Tuohy said. “Otherwise, in my opinion, it’s like giving Usain Bolt a 20-meter headstart with a 100-meter sprint. Let the tumor headstart and then start vaccination.”