A Missouri-based clinical trial showed promising results from an experimental vaccine intended to stop breast cancer.
The study, which was conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, had 14 women injected with a vaccine targeting a particular protein strand called mammaglobin-A. Experts said that high concentrations of mammaglobin-A is common in most cases of breast cancer.
Dr William Gillanders, co-author of the study, furthered that the samples also exhibited improved immune system which is important in slowing the disease progression. However, Gillanders cautioned that the vaccine is too early for public distribution, although he is confident that it is safe for human consumption.
About 80 percent of breast cancer patients have overproduction of mammaglobin-A. The experimental vaccine then triggers a group of white blood cells that helps eliminate cancer cells.
The subjects were identified in the advance stage of breast cancer and have had previous chemotherapy sessions. Related research posits that chemotherapy, though it aids in the destruction of tumor cells, weakens the individual's immune system.
Gillanders' team reported minimal side effects such as rashes, mild flu, and tenderness. About 50 percent of the patients showed no signs of cancer advancement after a year of administering the vaccine.
The researchers suggest that if the vaccine might prove itself to be more effective if it is given to early-diagnosed breast cancer patients. Dr Courtney Vito, a surgeon at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in California, said Gillanders' approach "makes a lot of sense and is very promising."
Vito explained that cancer cells are probably innate to human bodies, only that these are triggered when there is even an error in DNA replication. Once a single cancer cell escapes self destruction or white blood cells, it multiplies quickly and develops into a tumor, CBS News reported.
The study was published in the December 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
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