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"Every woman needs to know the facts. And the fact is, when it comes to breast cancer, every woman is at risk." -U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida's 20th District Representative
Dr. Vincent Tuohy, a researcher and immunologist with the Cleveland Clinic, believes he and colleagues have found a vaccination that may prevent breast cancer. His unconventional method is to not treat cancer, as current technology does, but to prevent it altogether. Dr. Tuohy's research, which has successfully immunized 100 percent of treated mice, may completely alter the landscape of modern medicine.
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), vaccination is most effective when used to prevent disease. Historically, however, cancer vaccine development has focused on treating established growing tumors.
A problem was previously cited in developing successful cancer vaccines because of potential autoimmune complications. Cancer cells are variations of self proteins, and a preventive vaccine may cause the immune system to attack its own body. The NIH states that an alpha-lactalbumin vaccination, as discovered by Dr. Tuohy and colleagues, is a breast-specific differentiation protein found in the majority of human breast cancer cases and nursing women. Tuohy states this protein allows the vaccine to initiate the woman's immune system without damaging healthy breast tissue.
The researchers were committed to finding a vaccine that did not harm surrounding tissue as a side-effect. Dr. Tuohy ultimately used the alpha-lactalbumin protein to create a vaccine. Researchers tested the vaccine on mice that were bred specifically to develop breast cancer.
Ultimately, the shot provided significant protection against the growth of cancer tumors and also stymied the growth of existing tumors.
"We found that when we vaccinated them [mice] early in life, before they had breast cancer, 100 percent of them were prevented from developing breast cancer," Dr. Tuohy said. "The 'eureka' got louder and louder as we kept repeating it more and more." Such a vaccination may also safeguard against the development of breast cancer for women in post-childbearing, pre-menopausal years. This is the time when lactation is most avoidable but the risk for developing breast cancer is high.
Dr. Tuohy's research was inspired by childhood vaccinations that successfully prevent such diseases as measles and polio. According to him, the American vaccine program is the most successful effort in history for eliminating the pain, death and cost of illness. "It just struck me as a giant hole in our health care that we don't have preventive vaccines that mimic the childhood vaccination program for adult diseases like breast cancer," explained Dr. Tuohy.
Dr. Tuohy currently wants to begin testing the vaccine in human patients. According to the Cleveland Clinic, enrollment procedures could begin in 2011. Although cancers have previously been cured in mice without the same success transitioning to humans, Dr. Tuohy believes this vaccine's chances of victory are "promising." To date, testing has been restricted to mice. Dr. Tuohy stated the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will lead the researchers through the necessary toxicity studies. Additional animal species, such as rats, are usually required for drug testing.
The FDA has previously approved two cancer-preventive vaccines, one each for cervical and liver cancers. These vaccines target the viruses that lead to such diseases, however, while the research of Dr. Tuohy aims for actual cancer cells. If human testing is successful, the strategy with this new vaccine will be to administer it to women aged 40 and over, as well as younger women with an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Dr. Tuohy does not have funding for human trials yet, but he has applied for grants from the Komen Foundation and also appealed to drug companies and the federal government for help.
Once funding is secured, Dr. Tuohy believes the vaccine could be available in approximately 10 years. At that time, normal, healthy women at risk for developing breast cancer would be pinpointed. "We have to try it," stated Dr. Tuohy. "It looks to me to be extremely promising, and until I see a better idea, I'd like to try this." Dr. Tuohy plans to meet with other researchers from around the globe to discuss vaccinations for additional cancers.
Sources: http://www.10tv.com/live/content/health/stories/2010/11/16/story-columbus-cleveland-clinic-breast-cancer-vaccine.html?sid=102
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-05-31/health/breast.cancer.vaccine_1_breast-cancer-vaccine-tuohy?_s=PM:HEALTH
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