Researchers at Oxford Biomedica have created a promising vaccine, called TroVax, for the treatment of existing kidney cancer. They have presented their findings at the 18th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on “Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics.”
The TroVax vaccine is still going through the clinical trials process. It works by harnessing the body’s immune system to tackle a tumour. A protein called 5T4 is present on the surface of around 90% of kidney tumours, but not on healthy cells. The patient is given a series of injections containing a harmless virus and a gene for the 5T4 protein. This gene triggers an immune reaction which leads the body to attack the cancer cells.
The treatment involves seven injections over 41 weeks, given alongside standard cancer therapy.
The patient who saw his tumour completely disappear was given the vaccine plus a drug called IL-2, already given as standard treatment for kidney cancer.
Of the 15 patients whose disease stabilised, one has been stable for 46 weeks.
A further 700 patients will now receive the treatment as the vaccine undergoes further study.
The Phase III trial will compare TroVax plus standard kidney cancer treatment and a dummy version plus standard treatment.
Researchers will look at whether or not tumour shrink, if the progression of the disease can be halted and patients’ quality of life.
Professor Robert Hawkins, of Christie Hospital in Manchester who will be leading the study, said the data so far on the vaccine was “very encouraging”.
“It would be rare that a patient would get rid of a tumour with standard treatment.
“The fact that it has happened in a relatively small trial is encouraging.”
Read the full BBC article . . .
Check out Biomedica’s Press Release . . .
Abstract available here . . .
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