The results obtained during the phase 1 clinical trial of a new vaccine against breast cancer have shown promise. The latter targets in particular the HER2 protein.
- Nearly 60,000 breast cancers were screened in 2018, according to the National Cancer Institute.
- There are already vaccines for certain types of cancer such as those against certain human papillomaviruses (HPV), which cause cervical cancer.
12,146 breast cancer deaths were recorded in 2018, according to Public Health France. This disease remains the leading cause of death in women and also the most common. For years, scientific research has been working in this way to reduce the risks of this pathology.
In a recent study, published in the journal JAMA Oncology, the researchers explain that they have developed an experimental vaccine against breast cancer. It obtained very good results during the phase 1 of the clinical trial.
66 breast cancer patients received experimental vaccine
To act, the serum targets a protein called “HER2”, which is overexpressed in 30% of cases of breast cancer and which promotes the growth of cancer cells and metastases. In some cases, the body manages to defend itself and the immune reaction eliminates the cells carrying this protein. In the end, this reduces the risk of cancer recurrence. It is therefore this reaction that the scientists have tried to reproduce with the vaccine.
To test the effectiveness of their serum, they administered it, between 2001 and 2010, to 66 women with metastatic cancer, that is to say that the tumor had spread from the place where it appeared at another part of the body. Some were in remission while others still had tumors in the bone tissue.
The authors divided these women into three groups. In the first, participants received three low-dose injections of the vaccine. Same in a second, but with a quantity of intermediate product. Finally, the last group had three injections of a high dose. All the patients were then followed for three to thirteen years in order to measure the possible effects of the vaccine on the cancer but also on other parts of their body.
Breast cancer: experimental vaccine increases life expectancy
“The results showed that the vaccine was very safe, says Dr. Mary Nora L. Disisone of the authors. The most common side effects we saw in about half of the patients were very similar to what you see with Covid-19 vaccines: redness and swelling at the injection site and possibly a little fever, chills and flu-like symptoms”.
Half of the participants had a better life expectancy at five years after the injection of the vaccine. Even better: according to long-term follow-up, 80% of patients were still alive ten years after vaccination. Finally, the strongest immune response was observed in patients who had received an intermediate dose of vaccine. The researchers intend to continue their studies with the hope, in the long term, of marketing an effective vaccine against breast cancer.