Pancreatic cancer vaccine is one type of treatment for pancreatic cancer. There are several types of vaccines being developed for the varying stages of the disease.
One use of a pancreatic cancer vaccine is in adjuvant therapy. This is treatment given after surgery to lessen the chances of the cancer returning. Traditionally, this involves a combination of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. More and more, chemotherapy is being used on its own. Vaccination methods and other non-chemotherapy type agents are now being evaluated in the postoperative adjuvant setting.
One pancreatic cancer vaccine approach in patients who have undergone a complete removal of the tumor, pancreatic mass and are cancer free, is to use immunization to protect the individual against an abnormal gene. This is a gene that is unique to pancreatic cancer cells. Initial results indicate that this immunization approach is very safe and well tolerated.
Pancreatic cancer vaccine in the immune-boosting area is also making progress and early results show better survival rates from the disease. With vaccination, the results have gone from an average of about 63% one year after diagnosis to 88%. The proportion of pancreatic cancer patients treated with the vaccine who were still alive two years after diagnosis increased from 42% to 76%.
In clinical trials, this Pancreatic cancer vaccine is used collectively with conventional surgery and postoperative chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The vaccine secretes a molecule that draws the body’s immune cells to the site of the cancer. Once lured to the tumor, the immune cells pick up other antigens from the outside of the irradiated cells that help to recognize and wipe out any remaining active cancer cells in the individuals body.
The pancreatic cancer vaccine is given eight to 10 weeks after surgery, and four booster vaccines are given after chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
As well as giving a new treatment option for patients who have been unsuccessful with other therapies, research data suggest that pancreatic cancer vaccine(s) may offer beneficial advantages over present therapies.
Unlike many traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, cancer vaccines have generally been associated with very few side effects. This encouraging side effect profile may potentially allow patients to retain a higher quality of life throughout the course of treatment.
Many clinical trials are being carried out to evaluate the use of the pancreatic cancer vaccine(s) in combination with other traditional therapies such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and a mixture of therapies offer the promise of enhancing the effectiveness of these traditional treatments. These are available only in the clinical trial setting.
Many pancreatic cancer vaccine(s) are still in phase1 or phase 11 in clinical trials and a small proportion being assessed in a phase 111 setting. Consequently, it remains to be seen what influence vaccines and immunization have on the overall outcomes in pancreatic cancer.
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