A milestone for the deadliest form of cancer: a vaccine for patients who have undergone pancreatic cancer surgery appears to dramatically lower the risk of the disease returning. Erasmus MC in Rotterdam will participate in follow-up research, but warns against too high expectations.
The number of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer has been rising for years. At the moment this concerns about 2800 patients per year. It is expected that there will be more than 4000 by 2032. Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest form of cancer; after five years, four percent of patients are still alive. That percentage has hardly increased in recent decades.
But there seems to be good news for a small proportion of patients. American research shows that a vaccine can prevent the disease from coming back after surgery. “It looks promising,” agrees surgeon Casper van Eijck of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, who specializes in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
It is unique because we know that pancreatic cancer tumors do not respond to immunotherapy. Now that has succeeded
Doctors call it a milestone, but are cautious at the same time. Only sixteen patients participated in the American study, the vaccine prevented the disease from coming back after a few years in half. “It is unique, because we know from pancreatic cancer that the tumors do not respond to immunotherapy. Now that has succeeded. But this study concerns a very select group of patients, who belong to the ten percent with the best chance of survival,” responds Hanneke Wilmink, medical oncologist at Amsterdam UMC.
The tricky thing about pancreatic cancer is that tumors grow quickly and metastasize easily. In ninety percent of patients who can be operated on, the disease comes back.
Research
The study now needs to be carried out on a larger scale to ensure that the results are as good for more patients. Erasmus MC has already registered to participate in the study from the Netherlands. “If we can start, only a limited number of patients can participate,” warns Van Eijck. They must first qualify for surgery and then be visually clean. Then there is a group that receives the vaccine, but also a control group.
Incidentally, it is a very intensive treatment. Cancer cells are safe during the operation. The proteins on it have been analyzed for the vaccine. With that information, mRNA vaccines – also made for corona – have been produced that teach the immune system to attack the cancer cells. The idea is that from now on the body will recognize the cells and immediately clear them away, so that the disease will not come back. A separate vaccine is made for each patient. Wilmink: ,, Not every patient succeeded or did the vaccine work. We now have to see whether survival really increases, also for a longer period of time. We are desperate for treatments, so hopefully this is the start of something beautiful.”
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