Recent study results have revealed that an experimental cancer vaccine has reduced the activity of tumors in both mice and rabbits. Research has shown that a molecule called Her-2/neu is overexpressed in 20% to 30% of breast and prostate cancers, thus meaning that Her-2/neu could prove to be a useful target for the prevention and treatment of certain cancers. Dr Ursula Wiedermann from the University of Vienna, Austria and colleagues carried out a series of experiments on a vaccine designed to provoke the body to produce anti-Her-2/neu antibodies. Results showed that blood taken from mice and rabbits vaccinated with either a number of individual tumor proteins, or with a combination of proteins, contained significant amounts of an antibody that directly targeted Her-2/neu. Furthermore, no signs of toxicity or organ inflammation were seen in mice given a total of 11 vaccinations at 21-day intervals. According to study leader Wiedermann, such a vaccine could be used to prevent cancers in high-risk patients, and possibly used in conjunction with chemotherapy to prevent the spread of cancer in patients already suffering from the disease.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: International Journal of Cancer. 2003;107:976-983.
