New research suggests an experimental vaccine could provide new hope for women diagnosed with an aggressive, hard-to-treat form of breast cancer.
This vaccine is effective against triple-negative breast cancer, a type that cannot be treated with hormone therapy due to its lack of reliance on the three hormones commonly associated with breast cancer.
For the research, the team analyzed tumor tissue after surgery to identify genetic mutations and created a personalized cancer vaccine for each patient.
In the Experiment, each patient received three doses of the vaccine, which trained their immune systems to target key mutations in their breast tumor.
According to a study published in Genome Medicine, 16 out of 18 patients remained cancer-free three years after receiving a vaccine that trained their immune systems to target and eliminate any lingering cancer cells.
Dr. William Gillanders, a senior researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis stated, "These results were better than we expected."
In accordance with National Breast Cancer Foundation, about 10% to 15% of the breast cancer that arise in the United states are triple-negative.
Until now, researchers noted that triple-negative breast cancer has no targeted therapies and must be treated with traditional methods such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
