An ovarian cancer vaccine, designed to enhance the body's immune to cancer has shown "encouraging" results said scientists from the Roswell Park Cancer Insitute of Buffalo, New York.
While most patients with advanced ovarian cancer respond to chemotherapy, more than 70% die from a reoccurrence of the cancer within five years of diagnosis. The vaccine, an ovarian cancer protien fragment coupled with a molecule to induce immune response, may improve the outcome for that 70%. It induced the immune system to produce antibodies and mobilize specialized T cells which were able to target cancer cells. Researchers detected the vaccine-induced immune cells in patients for up to 12 months after immunization.
Lead researcher Professor Kunle Odunsi said: "There is now compelling evidence that the immune system has the capacity to recognise and kill ovarian cancer cells. Our vaccine strategy is simply taking advantage of this knowledge in an effort to improve the outcome for ovarian cancer patients. We are confident that the vaccine will eventually be widely available."
More research will be needed to establish the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women and the second most commonly diagnosed gynecologic malignancy. Symptoms are bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, urinary urgency or frequency. These symptoms occur more frequently in women with ovarian cancer than women in the general population.
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