Early promise for cancer vaccine

Early clinical trials have shown promising results for a vaccine that trains the body’s immune system to attack one of the most common forms of lung cancer. Although Cancer Research UK advise that there are many unanswered questions about the treatment, it has been observed to slow progression.

The cancer vaccine uses a similar model to vaccines that combat infection, but rather than defend against diseases such as measles, this vaccine is designed to attack tumours. When cells become cancerous and divide uncontrollably, proteins on the surface of the cells change. These changes can be recognised by a trained immune system and trigger an attack of the cells.

The vaccine used was a modified pox virus genetically modified to make a ‘cancerous’ surface protein. The patients who took part in the trial all had advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. All were given chemotherapy, but half were also given the new virus. The patients were observed after six months. ‘Progression free survival’ was 43% for the vaccinated patients compared to 35% for those solely on chemotherapy. The illness was more likely to have become stable in vaccinated patients.

However, the survival rates for the vaccinated patients were only fractionally better than those patients on chemotherapy alone. Prof Peter Johnson, chief clinician at Cancer Research UK, said: "There's a lot of interest in harnessing the power of the immune system to treat cancer. This early-stage study shows that combining a vaccine with chemotherapy is possible, and may have some benefits for some people with lung cancer.

"But this study leaves a lot of unanswered questions - further research is needed to see whether the vaccine will actually improve survival for lung cancer patients."

Click here to see the full report, published in the Lancet Oncology.

Published: Monday, 24th October 2011 by Ellen Haggan