Testing is underway on vaccines to intercept brewing colon cancer before it takes root
The vaccine triggered KRAS-specific T cells in 18 of 20 participants, but researchers said larger controlled studies are needed to test prevention.
- Researchers at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins enrolled 20 participants with hereditary pancreatic cancer risks in a trial testing a new vaccine targeting KRAS mutations.
- Mutations in the KRAS gene drive more than 90 percent of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, prompting scientists to develop vaccines that teach the immune system to intercept precancerous lesions before they progress.
- Eighteen of the 20 participants mounted a significant KRAS-specific T-cell response, with a median 18.2-fold increase from baseline. Adverse events were grade 1 or 2, with no serious toxicity reported.
- The trial did not demonstrate cancer prevention, as a small sample size and 16.5-month median follow-up period cannot answer whether the vaccine stops disease progression.
- Senior author Neeha Zaidi noted a currently enrolling trial will examine whether vaccine-generated T-cells actually reach precancerous tissue rather than remaining detectable only in blood.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Associated Press News
Testing is underway on vaccines to intercept brewing colon cancer before it takes root
Scientists are creating a new kind of vaccine that teaches the immune system to intercept a type of brewing colon cancer before it turns into a full-fledged tumor.
Testing is underway in Houston on vaccines to intercept brewing colon cancer before it takes root
A Houston doctor who's helping to test a new vaccine is among an estimated 1 million Americans who have Lynch syndrome, a faulty gene passed from a parent that puts them at extremely high risk of colorectal cancer and more vulnerable to certain other cancers.
Could a vaccine intercept brewing colon cancer? Testing underway
Dr. Stacy Norton was only seven years old when her mother died of colon cancer, one of several family members struck by aggressive tumors at unusually young ages. Decades later, Norton rolled up her sleeve to help test if a new kind of vaccine might protect her and her own children from cancer. The Houston doctor is among an estimated one million Americans who have Lynch syndrome, a faulty gene passed from a parent that puts them at extremely hi…
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