An experimental vaccine may offer a way to intercept pancreatic cancer before it becomes invasive, potentially preventing the disease in people born with a high genetic risk.
The new vaccine targets a KRAS mutation found in more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancers, or roughly 60,000 of the more than 67,000 Americans diagnosed with the disease annually.
The vaccine trains the immune system to spot and destroy cells that carry the KRAS mutation. By doing so, researchers hope to intercept the disease at its earliest, precancerous stage long before it turns invasive and deadly.
In a small trial of 20 high-risk patients, all with a KRAS mutation or a strong family history of the disease, the vaccine triggered immune responses in 90 percent of participants. None developed pancreatic cancer during the follow-up period.
The results mark the first time a vaccine targeting mutations on the KRAS gene has been tested in people with a hereditary predisposition to pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest, with a five-year survival rate of just 13 percent. It is often diagnosed late because its early symptoms are vague and easily mistaken for other conditions, by which time the cancer has usually spread.
In a trial of 20 high-risk patients, the vaccine triggered immune responses in 90 percent of participants. Over 16.5 months, none developed pancreatic cancer and some saw their precancerous cysts shrink.
Pancreatic cancer rates have been steadily climbing over the past three decades. Since 1995, the overall incidence has risen by nearly 20 percent – from 10.6 to 11.9 per 100,000 people – with women seeing a sharper increase than men.
That would be wonderful!!!!