Medical researchers are celebrating after a vaccine is showing promising results in response to pancreatic cancer. Although it’s still in the early trial stage, this one-size-fits-all treatment could be revolutionary against one of the hardest cancers to beat, especially within the Black community.
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According to MSNBC, pancreatic cancer has a 13 percent five-year survival rate. And in 80 percent of cases, the cancer comes back. With some of the worst survival rates of all cancers, pancreatic cancer is becoming increasingly deadly, especially for patients who don’t have rapid medical access.
Black and Hispanic people are more likely to be diagnosed with this form of cancer, according to 2022 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium study. Black Americans also have the highest incidence rate of pancreatic cancer of any racial or ethnic group in the country, and some sources report the incidence rate for Black people is 30% to 70% higher than other racial groups. It’s no surprise this new vaccine is being celebrated as a medical triumph. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
How Does the Vaccine Work?
The treatment targets KRAS gene mutations, which occurs in 90 percent of pancreatic cancers, according to the Mayo Clinic. Treating pancreatic cancer is challenging due to the difficulty in targeting the cancer cells. The vaccine however, doesn’t fight against cancer cells in defense, as you might expect. Instead, it trains the body’s cells to respond.
According to medical professionals, by using peptides– a small chain of amino acids– the vaccine can teach healthy cells to recognize and attack cells with KRAS mutations. This new type of immunotherapy helps the body fight off disease, even if you’ve already been diagnosed.
“The critical step is engaging an immune response,” Dr. Zev Wainberg co-director of the University of California, Los Angeles, gastrointestinal oncology program said. Wainberg also co-led the Phase 1 clinical trial.
Is This a Cure?
This new vaccine does not cure cancer or prevent it; however, it did present an immunity advantage in the trial participants. Of the 20 patients who took the vaccine, doctors said 68 percent of them reported strong immune responses to KRAS.
Interestingly, while in its original state, the vaccine can be given to all patients in a single version. Other treatments tend to be personalized to a specific individual. This means in the future, this new treatment can be manufactured in bulk and exported accordingly.
What Happens Next?
There’s still a long way to go before this vaccine can be approved for public consumption. According to Dr. Dani Edmunds, a research information manager at Cancer Research UK, the vaccine is “promising to see that vaccines could help people with pancreatic and bowel cancer live cancer-free for longer.”
“More research is needed to understand why some people benefit from the vaccine while others don’t, so that we can make sure we’re beating cancer for everyone,” he added. Now, his team is gearing up for Phase 2. This phase will include another scientific study with a random groups of patients.
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