Metastatic Breast Cancer Vaccines
As 2014 unfolds, there is little question that cancer researchers are keeping their eyes focused on the field of immunotherapy, which includes cancer vaccines.
As we noted in our last e-newsletter, the take-away from the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting was that cancer vaccines and other types of immunotherapy drugs may have the potential to reshape cancer treatment. The promise of immunotherapy was underscored again in December, when Science magazine designated it the Breakthrough of the Year.
To learn what role immunotherapies will ultimately play in cancer care, researchers will need cancer patients to enroll in clinical trials that are studying treatments that are designed to use the body's own immune system to slow or stop cancer cell growth. Currently, there are 18 vaccine trials on BCT recruiting patients with metastatic breast cancer, and more are expected to be coming down the pike.
Read more about some of the trials that are available.
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Q & A with Christie Schubert:
Why I enrolled in a vaccine trial
Christie Schubert is one of the metastatic breast cancer patients who enrolled in the Mammaglobin-A DNA Vaccine Trial. She lives in Northern Idaho, and traveled to Washington University in St. Louis to take part in the trial. BCT spoke with Christie about her experience.
Q: When were you first diagnosed with breast cancer?
A: In 2006, I was diagnosed with stage I ER+, PR+, HER2- breast cancer at age 41. In August 2012, I found out that my cancer had recurred. I had metastases in my left eye, both lungs, and a lymph node in my neck.
Q: What other treatments have you been on for your metastatic disease?
A: I am currently taking Femara. I also had Faslodex shots for three months.
Q: How did you decide to take part in a clinical trial?
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