American researchers are currently working on a preventative vaccine that could reduce the risk of developing triple negative breast cancer.
- Currently, chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy and immunotherapy are recommended to treat triple negative breast cancer.
- An American scientific team is conducting a phase 2 clinical trial to develop a preventive vaccine against triple negative breast cancer.
- If the trial results are conclusive, this preventative vaccine could be used for other types of tumors such as ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Triple negative breast cancer represents 10 to 15% of breast cancers, according to the Baclesse Center. “The expression “triple negative” means that the tumor cells express neither hormone receptors (estrogen and progesterone) nor the HER 2 receptor. This means that certain drug treatments (hormone therapy and targeted anti-HER2 therapy) will not be effective”explains the institution on its online platform.
The development of a preventive vaccine against triple negative breast cancer
We can therefore resort to the chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy and immunotherapy to treat triple negative breast cancer. However, research continues, particularly to prevent the risks of this disease. In May 2023, the Cleveland Clinic (United States) announced the start of the second phase of its clinical trial on a vaccine designed to prevent triple negative breast cancer.
To develop this preventative vaccine, researchers used the results of laboratory studies conducted at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute by immunologist Vincent Tuohy. The latter had observed that activation of the immune system against a protein, called α-lactalbumin, made it possible to prevent breast cancer in mice at risk of developing the disease.
The triple negative breast cancer vaccine therefore targets the α-lactalbumin protein, which is usually expressed when a woman breastfeeds her child. However, it has been shown that this protein can be produced by tumors affecting the breast when they are not supposed to do so. In 2021, a first phase of a clinical trial, led by Dr. Thomas Budd, oncologist, began. “The general idea is that α-lactalbumin could be an immunological target, that is, we could stimulate the immune system to attack the cells that produce this protein”he explained.
“Our long-term goal is to determine if this vaccine can prevent breast cancer”
This first phase of the clinical trial is expected to conclude by the end of 2023. The objective was to determine the appropriate dosage in patients with early-stage breast cancer and to optimize the body’s immune response to the vaccine.
For the second phase, researchers recruited six to twelve women who did not have triple negative cancer, but who carried genetic mutations, exposing them to the risk of developing breast cancer, or who had a family history of breast cancer.
In the eyes of scientists, this preventive vaccine could be used for other types of tumors such as ovarian and endometrial cancers. “The trial is part of a long journey which we hope will result in a vaccine capable of preventing at least some breast cancer (…) our goal, in the long term, is to determine whether this vaccine can prevent breast cancer – particularly the most aggressive forms of the disease – before it starts”noted Dr. Thomas Budd.
