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One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, only after skin cancer. But there may be new hope for this disease.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, are conducting clinical trials on vaccines for people with breast cancer.
RELATED | Breast Cancer Vaccine Could Save Generations Currently in Clinical Trial at Mayo Clinic
What are some of the new vaccines under development?
Several breast cancer vaccines are under development. One type of vaccine under development concerns people with HER-2 breast cancer.
HER-2 represents the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. It is a protein that causes the rapid growth of breast cancer cells, their reappearance and their spread in the body.
About one in five breast cancer is HER-2 positive. The vaccine is given with another drug (trastuzumab), which also stimulates the body's immune system. The drug stimulates the body's B cells to kill cancer cells. The vaccine works by stimulating T lymphocytes, creating a long-term response that allows the person's body to fight the return of the disease.
Another new vaccine tested in clinical trials at Mayo is for triple negative breast cancer. This vaccine helps the body's immune system prevent the acquisition of folate by tumor cells, a vitamin essential for the growth of tumor cells.
If researchers succeed, what could it mean for the future of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment?
We are still in the experimental stage, but this gives hope to breast cancer patients with this type of disease. Doctors can look for gene mutations. Based on the results of these tests, the extent of tumor spread and other factors, doctors can customize treatments according to the type of breast cancer. Having a vaccine that stimulates a person's body to develop a long-term immune response to cancer is another way to fight breast cancer.
Why do people choose not to participate in clinical trials?
Minority populations and women are often underrepresented in clinical trial research. It is estimated that less than 5% of people will participate in a clinical trial. People generally say that they do not participate in clinical trials for safety reasons, guinea pigs, ineligibility, difficulties in meeting all the requirements for staying in the test, and so on.
Clinical trials are designed to help identify the drugs / vaccines that work best, those for which they are not working well, their safety and effectiveness. The participation of a diverse group of people in these trials is essential to understand how the drug or potential vaccine might work in real life.
Resources for those interested in clinical trials
Clinical trials are underway all around you. You do not have to be sick to participate in a clinical trial. You can visit national sites such as clinicaltrials.gov to identify clinical trials to which you may be eligible or to consult locally with hospitals around you. Many of them have websites offering opportunities for registration to clinical research trials. You can also ask your health care provider if you are eligible for a trial.
Follow the 9NEWS medical expert, Dr. Comilla Sasson on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have a medical question or a health topic idea? Email Dr. Comilla at [email protected].
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