The results of a scientific conference held in the United States revealed promising developments in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, through an experimental vaccine that is designed specifically for each patient and is currently being tested in clinical trial phases.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dangerous types of cancer, as it is often discovered in late stages, and about 87% of those affected do not live more than five years after diagnosis, which has made it one of the most difficult cancers to treat for decades.
Despite medical progress, survival rates did not improve significantly for a long time, but recent research has begun to open new treatment avenues, most notably targeted therapeutic vaccines.
The new treatment relies on mRNA vaccine technology, where a personalized vaccine is designed for each patient based on the genetic material extracted from the tumor after its surgical removal. This approach aims to train the immune system to recognize and precisely target cancer cells, with the potential to retain this immune memory for extended periods.
In the first phase of clinical trials, conducted on 16 patients with surgically resectable pancreatic cancer, patients received the vaccine post-surgery along with immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
The results showed that eight patients developed a strong immune response, meaning their T cells were activated to fight the cancer. Of these, seven remained alive and healthy for up to six years after treatment, while only two non-responders survived.
"After six years of follow-up, about 90% of the patients who responded immunologically are still alive, which is very promising," said Dr. Vinod Balachandran of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, presenting the results at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Among the participants was a patient who was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 66, received nine doses of the vaccine, and is now 72 years old and in good health. She described her experience as "a miracle in every sense of the word."
Some surviving patients also reported a significant improvement in their daily lives after treatment, with them returning to almost normal activities.
Despite these positive results, researchers emphasize that the treatment is still in its early stages, and its application is still limited to cases that are amenable to surgery, which is a small percentage of pancreatic cancer patients, as about 90% of patients are diagnosed in advanced stages that do not allow for surgery.
Experts warned against excessive optimism, with Dr. Brian Wolpin of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute saying: "We need to be realistic, this is not a one-size-fits-all treatment."
Researchers believe that the ability of this approach to stimulate the immune system to recognize and attack cancerous mutations could represent a significant shift in cancer treatment, especially as clinical trials continue to develop, with the treatment currently being tested in a second phase on a global scale.
Researchers hope this approach will improve the chances of treating pancreatic cancer, and perhaps open the door to its application to other types of cancer in the future.
