"WE are confident vaccine prevents bc by preventing her2+ DCIS shows efficacy

[Lani]

Novel vaccine shows promise against early-stage breast cancer [American Association for Cancer Research]
BOSTON - A diagnosis of breast cancer has taken on a new meaning in the past 10 years, as research has produced a host of new therapies and detection techniques, significantly improving long-term survival for women who have been fighting the disease. To build on these successes, researchers are now harnessing what they have learned about treating breast cancer and applying it to possible methods of prevention to reduce the total incidence of the disease. One study presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research's Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting in Boston looks at a specific target in the fight against breast cancer and evaluates a potential vaccine that is yielding promising results for women who are at high-risk for the disease.

Targeted immunoediting of critical pathways responsible for breast cancer development: treatment of early breast cancer using HER-2/neu pulsed dendritic cells

Multiple genetic targets have been discovered that may help fight breast cancer, including BRCA, estrogen receptors, and HER-2/neu, all of which have been known to predict the severity of disease, recurrence and overall survival. Developing novel therapies that target these specific genetic variances may be extremely beneficial in preventing breast cancer for many women.

In this study, researchers investigated a potential vaccine that targets HER-2/neu over-expression in early stage breast cancer, known as DCIS (ductal carcinomas in situ, or early stage cancer formation in the breast's milk ducts). It is estimated at 50-60 percent of DCIS is directly related to HER-2/neu over-expression.

Patients with HER-2/neu overexpression were given a therapy of dendritic cells (DC, which work with the B- and T-cells to trigger immune responses) that were treated with HER-2/neu to evoke an immune response. The participants received four weekly vaccinations into normal lymph nodes in their groins and were evaluated both pre- and post-vaccination for immune response, level of HER-2/neu expression, and cell infiltrates.

The researchers found that most patients responded well to the vaccination. Nearly all patients (11 of 12) exhibited an initial immune response (shown by the presence of anti-HER-2/neu specific CD4+ T cells), and many of the patients developed protein antibodies to fight the HER-2/neu cells
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[Lani]

2500 character restriction and difficulty accessing website caused the delay:
Patients began to build up reserves of white blood cells following treatment and seemed to show long-term immune responses to HER-2/neu as a result of the therapy. Of the 12 study participants, six showed markedly reduced levels of HER-2/neu expression after the vaccination, and as a result, the investigators also noted an improvement in their severity of their disease.

"The results demonstrate for the first time that this DC vaccination may have significant clinical activity against certain types of breast cancer," said Brian J. Czerniecki, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, and lead author of the study. "We are confident that targeted treatment with this vaccine may effectively fight not only DCIS, but may extend to prevention of breast cancer entirely."

[skibunny]

Dear Lani,

This is the clinical trial I was a part of at HUP. If you would like more Information I would be glad to share it. Where did you read about this. Dr.Czerniecki told me he was going to this conference and that there would be a release to the media about the study.

Also. I have to tell you how impressed I am with your knowledge. How do you find out about the latest information on HER2 and where do you find the information to answer everyone's questions?

You have been so helpful in keeping me informed and educated about breast cancer.

Thank you,

Ski bunny

[Lani]

I review Pub Med five days a week (they don't add anything Sunday or Monday) on breast cancer, as well as Breast cancer research and periodically Artemis (from Johns Hopkins), aacr publications, nci publications, and get on the list for various newsletters.

I look when conferences are being held and try to look up abstracts, news releases resulting from the conferences.

I read the BBC site daily and health information in the Wall St. Journal (lets me know when applications are made for fast-track approval, when FDA approvals occur) as well as Medscape News.

And that is just for breast cancer. I am helping several people with other problems research treatment possibilities including prostate cancer, esophageal cancer and avascular necrosis of the hip at the moment (it changes as different people ask me to research different things for them)

Tonight I just returned from a webcast simulcast of Dr. Mark Pegram and Dr. Cliff Hudis on her2 breast cancer--including the discussion of a lot of planned clinical trials of lapatinib with and without herceptin, Lapatinib and an AI, avastin and a taxane etc for early breast cancer.

They also discussed how they might treat the very elderly with herceptin and antihormonal therapy without chemo (I am trying to inform an 84 year old with her2+ breast cancer of her options).

They made it sound like there are going to be lots of important new revelations in San Antonio.

Let's hope so!

[skibunny]

Dear Lani,

Thank you for your information. Perhaps you can guide me on how to relieve back pain for my 87 year old mom who has breast cancer that has metastized to her back. My sister is with her in Florida and told me the x-rays show black dots along her spine which are tumors pressing on her bones which have caused them to crack. She just finished 16 days of radiation which was supposed to relieve pain and shrink the tumors. It has not done so. She was on Arimidex for 1/12 years after her bilateral mastectomy and the Dr. has switched her to Tamoxifin saying the Arimidex didn't work. She had a CAT scan of her body and the cancer has not spread anywhere else. She is taking oxycontin which is not helping. She was like the energizer bunny taking care of my 87 year old dad before this back pain started 2 months ago. Do you know of any treatments, medication, Dr. specialists, etc. for this? She lives in south Florida near Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale.

Thank you ,

Skibunny

[Lani]

I am not an oncologist, radiation therapist, oncology nurse, pharmacist or other with personal treatment experience but I can tell you from my reading:

1) when there are but a few of these there is a procedure by which orthopaedic surgeons inject bone cement into the vertebral body (the shape of a marshmallow normally) after an instrument has "jacked" up the height of the vertebra prior to injecting the cement. I suppose sometimes they don't jack it up much and just inject the cement in. It is called a vertebroplasty and keeps the bone from collapsing further IF this is the source of the pain rather than the nerves or spinal cord being impinged upon. Jacking up the vertebral body to its old height can relieve some symptoms of of impingement, but I don't know how many vertebral bodies can be involved before they decide it is too many to try to treat them all. It is a minimally invasive surgery, but a surgery and if you mom's condition is not that great that might influence whether they would consider it.
I will see if I can find any articles discussing how many might be too many

2) I am not a pharmacist but there are several papers on intravenous bisphosphonates for hypercalcemia from bone mets and that they seem to relieve bony pain from the mets as well sometimes.

I was trying to post some but this 2500 character rule botched it up.

Will have to return to do this later....