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Hi - I'm currently enrolled in the clinical trial at UW in Seattle for her2+ breast cancer. I've had 2 out of 6 vaccinations so far.
Here's some info on this trial, as far as I understand it: you have to be a few months out of treatment, have had NO Herceptin (I had declined to go in the Herceptin-for-year trial after my chemo in 2002), have any number of +ve lymph nodes, and be no more than 5 years beyond treatment.
That get's you to the screening tests and you may not get accepted due to a number of things: e.g muga scan below 55, low white blood count (below 3.0), autoimmune disease, etc.
I got through all that (only just!) - I had my screening in mid- December, and had my second vaccine on Jan. 21. It's very easy, just a sore thigh (bit red, swollen and achy for a few days).
While Herceptin is known to work against many her2+ cancers, the vaccine is unknown. BUT, Herceptin doesn't cross the blood brain barrier, and the vaccine is supposed to cause a reaction within the cells of you immune system which WOULD circulate throughout your whole body. The vaccine would not be as strong as Herceptin (toxicity and side effects-wise), would be much cheaper, and hopefully would just require booster shots a few times a year.
This trial has now enrolled 15 (worldwide)at the initial, lowest dose, and when these 15 have had their 4th vaccine, have follow-up mugas, and if all is well, they will enroll the next 15 (at a higher dose level), repeat the cycle, and if all well, enroll the last 15 (at the highest dose).
Dr. Nora Disis (the dr. in charge of the trial at UW), says that in her years of experience in her2 vaccines, she has seen immune reponses at the lower doses, and it doesn't make a great difference at the higher doses, but this trial is being run by a drug company, not UW, and they are doing things a littel different.
Feel free to email me with any questions,
Marianne (from Vancouver, Washington)
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