Cancer Vaccines are Extending the Lives of Cancer Patients
Excellent clinical trial results across multiple types of cancer. Learn more from my interview with world-renowned oncologist, innovator, and Editor in Chief of JAMA Oncology, Dr. Nora Disis.
IT’s WORKING! Advanced cancer patients are living significantly longer
Many of the trials are adding unexpected YEARS to the lives of stage 4 patients. If there is one anti-cancer strategy not to miss, THIS IS IT.
Breast: 85% living 10+ years and counting
Kidney: 100% living 3+ years and counting
Ovarian: 50% living 8+ years and counting
Amazing results are available for melanoma, non-small cell lung, and many, many other types of cancer. The only way to access this anti-cancer strategy is to find a clinical trial.
Excellent Clinical Trial Results Spark Excitement
-
80% Survival for 10+ Years: Advanced Breast
Sixty-six women with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who had completed standard therapy and were either in complete remission or had residual disease confined to the bone participated in the trial. The vaccine induced a robust immune response, particularly at the intermediate dose of 100 mcg. Approximately 80% of participants in this group survived beyond 10 years post-vaccination, and 40% remained disease-free during this period.
The DNA vaccine proved both safe and capable of generating a durable anti-tumor immune response in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. However, as this was a Phase I trial primarily focused on safety and immunogenicity, look for upcoming Phase II trial (2025) with a good of overall survival.
-
100% Success 3 Years & Counting: Kidney Cancer
Nine patients being treated for stage III or IV clear cell renal cell carcinoma (a form of kidney cancer), are cancer-free after three years which is the time of last measure (February 2025). They will continue to be monitored.
In a groundbreaking Dana-Farber study, all nine patients remained cancer-free after receiving a personalized cancer vaccine following tumor-removal surgery. The vaccines, custom-made using tumor-specific neoantigens, successfully trained each patient’s immune system to target and destroy remaining cancer cells. Some patients also received the immune checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab. With a median follow-up of nearly three years, researchers reported long-lasting immune responses and no serious side effects—marking a promising step forward in kidney cancer treatment.
-
50% Survival for 8+ years: Advanced Ovarian
Twenty-five advanced ovarian cancer patients were enrolled in this Phase 1 trial using the IGFBP-2 protein which helps specific T-cells generate significant anti-tumor activity.
This remarkable study provided an average survival of 5 TIMES the norm. The IGFBP-2 DNA vaccine trial has shown that nearly half of the patients with advanced stage ovarian cancer are still alive 8 years after vaccination, significantly surpassing the median survival of 18 months, and a third have not had a recurrence.
Vaccine nonresponders were more likely to have preexistent IGFBP-2 specific immunity and demonstrated defects in CD4 T cells, upregulation of PD-1, and downregulation of genes associated with T-cell activation, after immunization.
Dr. Nora Disis
Director, Cancer Vaccine Institute at the University of Washington (UW), Prof. for Cancer Research, Prof. of Medicine and Adjunct Prof. of Laboratory Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, American Cancer Society Clinical Professor, Deputy Editor, JAMA, Editor-in-Chief of JAMA Oncology
Dr. Disis is board certified in both oncology and internal medicine. Her research interest is in the discovery of new immunologic targets in solid tumors for the development of vaccine and cellular therapy for the treatment and prevention of common malignancies. She holds several patents in the field of targeted cancer immunotherapy and immune-based diagnostics. Check out her lab and listen to our interview.
Former NBC news correspondent and breast cancer survivor, Kristen Dahlgren, started the Cancer Vaccine Coalition to help get cancer vaccines to patients. You can help. Join the coalition and join the movement to push science forward faster.
Find out if there is a trial for you by going to www.clinicaltrials.gov or use the button below to go to the American Cancer Society’s NEW service called ACTS. ACTS is a personalized clinical trial matching service, to navigate clinical trials and find the best treatment options available.
Both services will provide information on all clinical trials, not just cancer vaccine trials. Get some ideas and bring them to your doctor to have a discussion about the possibilities.
I also list several clinical trials for a variety cancer types here with links.
100+ Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trials Open Now
University of Washington Cancer Vaccine Institute
UW is a leader in cancer vaccines with several clinical trials in the pipeline
“We know the immune system can detect cancer. In fact, activating the immune system with vaccines is the best and only tool for completely eliminating cancer at the single-cell level. But cancers have developed ways to survive by suppressing and evading the immune cells that would otherwise kill them. To effectively kill tumor cells, our work has shown that the human body needs to produce a specific type of immune response. It’s known as a Type I immune response — specifically, a MHC Class II restricted CD4+ Th1 cell response.”
