Experimental breast cancer vaccine: encouraging results
On April 14, during the annual conference of the American Association for Cancer Research, the results of a randomized study of the efficacy and safety of an experimental vaccine for the treatment of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer (with metastases in regional lymph nodes and the absence of such in the presence of high risk) were presented.
According to data on 163 participants whose follow-up period averaged 30 months, patients receiving NeuVax adjuvant therapy, provided that the tumor was characterized by low HER2 expression, had a significant decrease in the recurrence rate. Thus, among the patients receiving NeuVax therapy, 56 (66%) had low HER2 tumor expression; among those who did not use the vaccine, there were 44 (67%). In patients with low HER2 expression treated with NeuVax, not only the recurrence rate decreased, but also mortality: 0% compared to 20% in those who did not use the vaccine (p=0.04).
And although the study was conducted with the participation of a small number of patients, the data obtained may be important for over 50% of breast cancer patients whose tumor belongs to the category with low HER2 expression, in which treatment with Herceptin (trastuzumab) is not usually prescribed. The company plans to conduct a phase III study involving 700-1000 patients who are not indicated for Herceptin treatment.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru16.04.2008