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New Cancer Research
New cancer research is looking into a vaccine for colon cancer. Many medical researchers have struggled to accomplish exactly this goal. Now a potential vaccine against colon cancer has begun clinical trials at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine. This medication would be great for people with a genetic disposition to colon cancer. It would also be useful to many other people who want protection against this deadly disease.
Clinical Trials
Cancer clinical trials have begun at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine with a vaccine to prevent colon cancer in high risk patients. It might spare patients the risk and inconvenience of repeated invasive surveillance tests. Only a colonoscopy procedure is used today to reliably spot and remove precancerous and cancerous polyps.
More than 10 people have participated in this new cancer research so far, and the researchers intend to enroll another 50 into the study. The lead scientist is Robert E. Schoen, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Schoen advises that, "Colon cancer takes years to develop and typically starts with a polyp, which is a benign but abnormal growth in the intestinal lining...polyps that could become cancerous are called adenomas."
Hope for a new vaccine
These researchers have developed a different method for colon cancer prevention. This new cancer research targets an abnormal variant of a self-made cell protein called MUC1. Advanced adenomas and cancer produce too much of this altered protein.
Current cancer vaccines use a different biological procedure. They block viral infection linked to cancer. Some people are familiar with Gardasil. It is useful against human papilloma virus associated with cervical cancer. There is also a hepatitis B vaccine that protects against liver cancer. This vaccine might be especially useful for patients with Gardner Syndrome.
Dr. Schoen hopes the vaccine will stimulate the patient's own immune response against the MUC1 protein. That might not only prevent colon cancer progression, but even polyp recurrence.
Late-stage colon cancer patients and pancreatic cancer patients have also tried this vaccine to show that it is safe for use in early stage patients. Olivera Finn, Ph.D., is professor and Chairperson of the Department of Immunology at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and is co-investigator in this new cancer research.
She reports from those earlier studies, "Patients were able to generate an immune response despite their cancer-weakened immune systems...patients with advanced adenomas are otherwise healthy and so they would be expected to generate a stronger immune response. That may be able to stop precancerous lesions from transforming into malignant tumors."
We don't know if this research will actually create an improved prognosis of colon cancer.
Criteria for the patient
There are a number of criteria for a patient to be allowed into this clinical trial. Some criteria are:
- the patient's age must be between 40 and 70 years
- they must have a history of developing advanced adenomas
After the initial vaccine dose, participants will be dosed again after 2 and after 10 weeks. The patients will be examined and followed for at least one year.
Immunotherapy might be a good alternative to colonoscopy because it is noninvasive and nontoxic and it could provide long-term protection. Many people might prefer taking a drug a few times over having a colonoscopy every 5 years.
You should get in touch with these researchers if it sounds like this program might help you. You can always write to us and we will help connect you to the best person on the medical staff to discuss this with you.
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