Breast cancer vaccine

Researchers have been able to create an immune response in patients with a vaccine against a cancer-causing protein in phase I trials.

“In fact, the most common side effects that we saw in about half the patients were very similar to what you see with COVID vaccines: redness and swelling at the injection site and maybe some fever, chills and flu-like symptoms.” The UWSM researchers discovered that this type of cancer didn’t reoccur in patients whose immune systems had been triggered to provide a response. Yet, as NCI reports, “Despite these successes, many women with breast cancer don’t benefit from current HER2-targeted treatments, or they become resistant to the effects of these drugs after initial treatment.” The researchers recruited 66 female patients who had metastatic cancer. It is estimated that in 2022, approximately 30% of all new women's cancer diagnoses will be breast cancer.” The National Cancer Institute (of the United States) notes that HER2 protein contributes to the spread of breast cancer, and that scientists for the past forty years have been working on limiting the genetic expression of the protein to curb the disease.