CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Got a call from a friend today, she saw this report on CNN about what they are saying is a promising cure for breast cancer, it's a vaccine...Anyone heard any more on it. One report said they could start trials of it on humans within the next year....here's link...sherryghttp://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/31/breast.cancer.vaccine/index.html

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/31...ine/index.html

sorry link got scrambled in with my signature

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Yes Sherry I did watch it on the news and it was in our newspaper.

They are calling it a BREAKTHROUGH headline reads:

BREAKTHROUGH may end breast tumors.
The test study on mice have been overwhelmingly favorable results. Dr. Vincent Tuohy who led the resarch at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio said there was evidence in the initial tests that the vaccine could prevent cancers from forming and stop the growth of existing tumors.

If it works in humans the way it works in mice, this will be monumental. They believe this vaccine will someday be used to prevent breast cancer. Researchers injected the test vaccine into six mice that were specifically bred to be prone to breast cancer. None developed any signs of tumors. Six other mice bred in the same way were
injected with a placebo vaccine and all developed tumors.

The drug makes the immune system attack a particular protein found in most breast cancer cells and in the mammary tissue of breast feeding women.

If clinical tests of the vaccine on humans are successful, women over 40 could be vaccinated.

This is an early stage study, and large scale clinical trials will begin to find out if this vaccine would be safe and effective in humans.

As I listened to the news I had tears streaming down my face, thinking of all our losses this year and hopefully the bright future that awaits us. (of course there will be years of study).

Each day we get closer.
Jean

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Sherry and Jean,
Thank you for posting!! This is great news and I sure hope they figure out the details quickly. I am encouraged by the study coming out of a respected institution such as the Cleveland Clinic. Hoping that it enables them to acquire resources to move this forward.

As always....your insights provide me with a hope boost for the day.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

It said that they will probably start trials in humans with a year. I am so wondering what they will require to be admitted into the trial...i would love to get on this vaccine.....sherry

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Same here... I'm waiting for a vaccine trial to be open at Stanford in the Fall, but this one in Cleveland is looking very, very promising.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Hi Marcia
Do you know what type of vaccine trial they will be opening at Stanford?

Thanks Ellie

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

I hope this is the answer for many of us.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Hi Ellie,

Not sure yet, just know that it'll be open soon and it may be a possibility for me according to my oncologist. I'll keep you all posted once I find out more about it.

Marcia

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

This is wonderful news but they came on with
this big announcement on our news and said
cure for breast cancer coming up and went on about
it. If people need it now that was very misleading.
It could be years to be available. That it is good
news is true, but not yet.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Uh oh, here comes the contrarian downer...

Absolutely, this is reason to be hopeful but healthy skepticism should always rule the day when considering mouse-model research. Researchers are optimistic, but they also always warn that it's a big leap from results in animals to similar results in humans and there is no guarantee the treatment will make it to human trials... and according to the article, there is no funding for human trials at this point, though it has been applied for. I have read about 8 different news stories about it and not one of them has said that the FDA has approved human trials yet. If it does translate to wonderful results in humans, experts speculate it will take at least 10 years to get the vaccine to mainstream use.

All that said, I hope beyond hope they are on to something and that they HURRY!

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Maybe insights from this will inform things already underway.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

If this vaccine pans out to be the long sought "cure" for breast cancer, then the doctors involved will be Nobel prize winners in medicine. I certainly hope to see them in Norway one day accepting the reward ---

bird

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

The following sentence told me all I needed to know. It is not for the likes of me who already HAVE the disease.

"However, he speculates it will take at least 10 years to get the vaccine to normal, healthy women at risk of developing the cancer."

How they will determine who is "at risk" for developing breast cancer looks like a tough nut to crack. Just being a living human is a broad category!

I must point out that there are numerous other projects being worked on which are meant to spur the immune system against some other targets. My money is on another study in progress that will not take as long as 10 years from now.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Hey, Brenda, what I say to your post is: "crap on a crapstick!" That's right, you heard me! CRAP ON A CRAPSTICK!

You know, since you have posted that at times here on Her-2 I have co-opted it. Boy, does it throw the locals here in Pa! I just tell them it's a Tx expression! BTW, is it?

Well, gang, it sure would be nice if this does work in humans and fast tracks for all of us and our daughters (and I guess sons, too, Rarebird).

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

I realize it is only 6 mice...and that it will take at least 10 years of additional study. But we have to start somewhere. Just remember how herceptin started.

I also agree the news revs it up -
I am still praying that the cup is half full and who knows what is around the corner.

That's my story and I am sticken to it!

Love to all,
jean

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

I was also a bit disappointed that this is being talked about in the press as something that will prevent all breast cancer in the future when the vaccine will not do anything to prevent breast cancer occurring in young women. Because its target is also present in the breasts of breastfeeding women, the inventor is talking about only giving it to women over 40. Since I was diagnosed in my 30s, I am not impressed.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

I saw the researcher on the Keith Olbermann show on MSNBC a few nights ago (Olbermann said his mom died of BC). The researcher said what others here have reported -- he doesn't have any funding and it will take 10 years before this reaches the public. My thoughts were "speed it up" and where can I sign up for the shot!

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Sounds tempting, doesn't it, to sign up. But we have no idea whatsoever about side effects and long term effects. Yes, if one has mets and is at the end of the chemo rope, one might consider signing up. But so far it has only worked in 6 mice.

It would be wonderful if it worked, though and I do hope they get funding and can start doing more tests. I read it's not just BC they are working on, but other forms of cancer too.

Jacqueline

Research connections
 

After mention of the basis for this possible vaccine, I was watching a different interview on TV (Creating Synthetic Life), and in that interview, one of the researchers involved in that was already speculating that there may be a way to apply that brand-new research result to the protein mentioned in the Cleveland research.

There are many possible ways in which the puzzle pieces might be put together, and the powers of computers combined with the internet itself as a tool in letting people see and share ideas so much faster are very dynamic in moving forward.

At the same time, we are becoming more and more dependent on them, and on our trust in their accuracy. Computers don't have "common sense", and the outcome they provide is dependent upon humans too.

Anyway, I think it is especially good that diverse areas of science are aware of each other's work, and are so much more rapidly aware than in the past, and can be faster to integrate with each other in planning future efforts.

Re: Research connections
 

Hold the fort! How does this relate to the breast cancer vaccine that many of us already received in clinical trial with the tumor vaccine group in Seattle? I was diagnosed with mets to my liver and lungs at the age of 49 and after my herceptin and several vaccinations in clinical trial, here I am 6 years out with No Evidence of Disease. In my opinion, the vaccine is already in clinical trial; and at least in my case it is working! (so far...fingers and toes crossed!)
Love Kim from CT

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

"Tuohy now wants to move forward in testing the vaccine in human patients. Enrollment could begin next year according to the Cleveland Clinic."

This is also stated in the article. Am I wrong to assume that they will begin testing or trials on patients that already have cancer, metastatic or otherwise...not sure. It may take 10 years for it to reach market for "healthy" women. But I take it to mean that we may be getting access to it in forms of trials within a year or so....correct me if I'm wrong...sherry

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Sherry
That was my understanding also. It may take a long time to be availble prophylactically but may be given earlier to those who already have bc.

Kim
Glad to hear from you and pleased you are doing so well.
maybe for a subset of patients we already have a 'cure' in the treatment they have already received. it is so frustrating that we don't yet know what is effective for all.

Ellie

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Guess it depends on which phrases in the article one latches on to that give us our impression of what it means.

"Scientists at Ohio's Cleveland Clinic are touting a new prototype vaccine to prevent breast cancer as "promising." "

The key words for me are "prevent" and its forms.
I did not see any place where they said WHO would be a trail candidate. Some might assume it is US who already have the disease since we are the first to get into the normal drug trials.

This vaccine contains a protein PRESENT in breast cancer and not in normal healthy tissue unless the person is lactating. If we already have the protein in our body, I am not sure adding more is the right approach.

Further down in the article it is stated that the inspiration for this vaccine came from the programs that have successfully vaccinated children from measles, etc.

The hoped for end result is to PREVENT the disease, but how they will get there is not addressed. Just that they hope human trials can begin - even though they don't have funds or FDA approval. Marketing is probably hoping a group with deep pockets will take interest.

If further animal trials show the same good result, I hope there will be a way to move it along.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Please go to http://blog.dslrf.org/?p=189 to read what Dr. Susan Love has to say. The media is not doing any of us a favor to hype this story up so prematurely. I would fight to be first in line for a proven vaccine and I hope and pray something like this will be available sooner rather than later. But for now, I see new options of targeted therapy as our best answer to living with breast cancer.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Hopefully a part of a trend:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6542C020100605

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cel...k=MW_news_stmp

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Reading your link Rich made me happy and sad. My brother died of melanoma 2 years ago. Wish this would have been available to him, might have helped. ...sherry

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Ugg. Yeah...every advance has a bittersweet side in this arena.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Even though it worked at the moment in only 6 mice, that's the beginning...We have to start somewhere.

Many other meds have worked in mice and are now available to people with many other forms of cancer and yes, these people are still alive, I can count myself amongst them.

Actually 6 mice is better than none... Just like Jean, this is my story and am sticking to it.

The only concern of mine is having the vaccine available to only women over 40 years of age, it does not make sense and it needs to be evaluated as more women are being diagnosed in their 20's.

This is and it has been an epidemic, it took a long time for the government to grant money for bc research and for the pharmaceutical companies to pay attention to the stats, unecessary deaths could have been spared.

My dear aunt Mary used to say: "Better late than never" I guess it's a lot late for some of us, having to live with the disease for life, but at least now more and more money is being spent in bc research, drugs and now a vaccine.

We must remain optimistic.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Probably everything we all are benefiting from starts with mouse-model in a lab, true. But the percentage of things that wash out after mouse-model, or within the earliest of human-model trial, is significantly higher than the things that actually translate into successful treatments.

This researcher must have an incredible PR team for his research, at this incredibly premature stage, to have hit the mainstream media and the capture the hearts and minds of the breast cancer culture with such a splash (nothing sexier than proclaiming a cure). It will probably be a great boon for him raising money to proceed.

It never hurts to be positive... but personally I'd be a lot more hopeful at this stage if I were a mouse with breast cancer. Ever the (healthy) skeptic I suppose.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

One of the big problems we have at present is that we just don't know what works for which patients!
It seems to be becoming clear that there are many subsets of the disease possibly even within the her 2 component itself.I suspect that's why we have some stage 4 survivors that stay NED with the use of Vit h alone and why others need multiple lines of chemo.
I speculate that this may also be the case with the available current vaccines in that they may be effective for one and not for others.
I guess this follows on from the mystery of why some small early stage tumours become metastatic but conversely why some very large tumours appear to be 'cured'after initial treatment and don't recur.
Until we get to the bottom of these variables I guess it's trial, error and HOPE

Ellie

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

I spoke to my doctor about having vaccine. He said that he does see it right now because of the fact I had a complete response to chemo. I wonder though --

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Hi Patty
Thats really interesting. i know we are different as I am stage 4 however my onc 's view was that being NED was the best time to have a vaccine as the disease load is low and the triggering of an immune response may wipe out any cells lurking about.#Cheers
Ellie

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

I agree with Brenda....... my hubbie was so excited for me (and daughter) and I had to put a kybosh on it :(

I think they are stating age 40 and over for the vaccine because it will target breast cells in pregnancy/lactation and there would be problems if you were conceiving after taking the vaccine.

Re: CNN Report Promising Cure Vaccine
 

Such wonderful news and I'm hoping and praying for all you that you can get the vaccine SOON. I hope this is the answer finally and we can kick breast cancer off the face of this Earth.