A new one-size-fits-all cancer vaccine has shown promising results in preventing hard-to-treat pancreatic cancers from coming back. The vaccine targets the KRAS gene mutation, which occurs in about 90% of pancreatic cancers and is also found in colorectal cancers.
The vaccine uses short chains of amino acids called peptides to teach immune cells to recognize and attack cells with KRAS mutations. In a Phase 1 clinical trial, 20 people with pancreatic cancer and 5 with colorectal cancer received the vaccine and showed an immune response to the mutation. About two-thirds of those patients had an immune response that appeared to be robust enough to stave off lingering cancer cells.
The vaccine triggered an immune response not just to KRAS mutations but also to other tumor cell targets, with about 70% of participants showing this effect. The results exceeded expectations, with participants surviving for an average of 29 months and living recurrence-free for more than 15 months post-vaccination.
This breakthrough is significant because traditional cancer vaccines are often personalized to the patient and can be expensive. The new vaccine’s ability to target KRAS mutations makes it a potential game-changer in cancer treatment, paving the way for major breakthroughs in preventing cancer recurrences.
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/pancreatic-cancer-vaccine-prevents-recurrence-phase-1-clinical-trial-rcna223980