The first recipient of a new breast cancer vaccine has been revealed to the public.
Jennifer Davis, MD, of Ohio, received the innovative vaccine, developed by the Cleveland Clinic, in October 2021.
She had previously battled triple negative breast cancer, and went into remission in 2018. She was selected for the trial because there was a high chance the cancer would come back.
The shot she received is among hundreds of experimental cancer vaccines and drugs in early trials.
One cancer vaccine made by Moderna for patients recovering from advanced melanoma was awarded “breakthrough treatment” status by health chiefs last month, paving the way for fast-track approval.
Jennifer was told she had triple negative breast cancer during a typical day at work in 2018
Ms. Davis receives the third dose of her breast cancer vaccine from coordinating research nurse Donna Latch
Ms. Davis, a nurse from Lisbon, Ohio, about 60 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, found a lump in her breast in February 2018.
Her first biopsy — a test done on tissue taken from a live person to check for disease — found no evidence of cancer.
But the tumor grew over the next few months and Davis underwent another biopsy after an ultrasound showed abnormalities.
A week later, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer and underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, as well as a double mastectomy — the removal of both breasts.
Triple negative breast cancer makes up about 10-15 percent of all breast cancers.
It’s called a triple negative because cancer cells don’t have receptors for estrogen or progesterone, and they don’t make any or much of a protein called HER2.
Approximately 40 percent of people with stage I through stage III triple-negative breast cancer will return after treatment.
About 91 percent of all women diagnosed with the disease are still alive five years after diagnosis. However, if the cancer has spread, the five-year survival rate is 12 percent.
In general, triple negative breast cancer has a worse survival and cause-specific survival than non-triple negative breast cancer.
During follow-up appointments, I learned about the Cleveland Clinic’s breast cancer vaccine clinical trial.
The injection works by targeting a lactation protein called α-lactalbumin, which is no longer present after lactation in noncancerous tissues but is present in the majority of triple-negative breast cancers. Protein plays a major role in milk production.
If breast cancer occurs, the vaccine stimulates the immune system to attack the tumor and prevent its growth.
Ms. Davis is part of a Phase 1a study, which includes patients who have completed treatment for early-stage triple-negative breast cancer in the past three years.
These people should be free of tumors but are at high risk of recurrence.
She was given three doses of the vaccine, two weeks apart. Her last shot was in November 2021, and she didn’t experience any major side effects.
She underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, as well as a double mastectomy
Jennifer with her tight-knit family before her treatment for breast cancer
“Triple-negative breast cancer is the form of the disease for which we have the least effective treatments,” said Dr. George Thomas Bode, a breast oncologist and principal investigator of the Cleveland Clinic’s breast cancer vaccine trial.
In the long term, we hope this will be a true preventive vaccine given to individuals who do not have cancer to prevent them from developing this highly aggressive disease.
‘There is no medicine I take to make sure I don’t get a recurrence,’ said Ms Davis.
With every ache and pain, your mind goes to the worst case scenario. So I was really excited when I heard about the vaccine.
In February 2023, Cleveland Clinic began a Phase 1B clinical trial.
This time, it focuses on individuals without cancer who are at high risk of developing breast cancer and who have undergone a prophylactic mastectomy to reduce their risk.
Davis, now 46, is celebrating her fifth year in remission.
Another cancer vaccine is Moderna for advanced melanoma.
It works by harnessing mRNA technology that uses bits of genetic code from patients’ tumors to teach the body to fight cancer.
The vaccine is given to people after surgery to prevent the tumor from returning, and it is tailored to each patient, meaning no two shots will be the same.
Merck and Moderna said they plan to start a Phase III study in the treatment this year, when it will be tested on thousands of patients.
They will also “rapidly scale up” to look at other cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer.
The federal government has a major initiative to reduce cancer deaths launched last year, called the Cancer Moonshot.
It follows more investment in cancer screening, prevention and treatment in recent years.
Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world, affecting more than two million women annually
Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world. There are about 264,000 new cases in the United States each year, and the disease claims the lives of 42,000 women. But what are its causes and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer develops from a cancer cell that develops in the lining of the duct, or lobula, of one breast.
When breast cancer spreads into the surrounding breast tissue, it is called “invasive” breast cancer. Some people are diagnosed with “carcinoma in situ,” in which no cancer cells grow outside the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in women over the age of 50 but sometimes younger women are affected. Male breast cancer can develop, although this is rare.
Staging means how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the first stage and stage 4 means that the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
Cancer cells are graded from low, which means slow growing, to high, which means fast growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they are first treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumor starts from an abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell turns cancerous is not clear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in a cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply “out of control”.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance of developing breast cancer, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most breast lumps are not cancerous and are fluid-filled sacs, which are benign.
The first place breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this happens you will develop a lump or lump in your armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial evaluation: The doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may perform tests such as mammograms, which are special x-rays of breast tissue that can indicate possible tumors.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If it is confirmed that you have breast cancer, more tests may be needed to assess whether it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments is used.
- Surgery: breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy, depending on the size of the tumor.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment that uses high-energy beams of radiation that focus on the cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or prevents cancer cells from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment for cancer using anti-cancer drugs that kill cancer cells or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormonal therapies: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the “female” hormone estrogen, which can stimulate cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that reduce the level of these hormones, or stop them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is the treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small and has not spread. Surgical removal of the tumor at an early stage may give a good chance of cure.
Mammograms offered to women ages 50 to 70 mean more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an earlier stage.