Using Our Own Cancer to Create a Cure

Admittedly, the title of this post is a little far-reaching for the current state of treatment technology across all cancer types, but a recent article I found on cnn.com today suggests that a study using a personalized vaccine developed from the brain tumors of patients with glioblastoma (a typically fatal brain cancer) might offer a second chance at life to patients who would otherwise just be offered a death sentence.

The CNN report focuses on the story of a 61-year old male patient who was diagnosed with glioblastoma over a year ago (typical survival times for patients with this diagnosis is typically less than a year with significant loss of function). But this patient was dancing with his daughter at her wedding. And it was all thanks to a vaccine made with his very own tumor cells. As it turns out, this patient is one of eight enrolled in the treatment arm of the trial (meaning those who have received this treatment); so far, none of the treated patients has seen any recurrence of the tumor in the last year. (It's awfully hard to argue with a 100% success rate, even if this is just one trial.)

The lead researcher in this trial, Dr. Andrew Parsa described the study process rather succinctly:

"The approach that we take is we actually do the surgery. We take the tumor out, and then we make the vaccine directly from that individual patient's tumor. And then give that vaccine back to the patient."

On the one hand, this idea seems so sophisticated and on the other, painfully simple. It stands to reason that if we can help the body identify the "bad" cells that a patient's own immune system would offer a formidable (and more focused) response, possibly even with fewer side effects of the current treatments we have to offer patients. In this case, t seems as if the researchers are somehow tagging the tumor cells so that once they are re-released into the body, the person's immune system recognizes and begins to fight not only the re-released, "tagged" cells but also any of the old tumor cells that may have been "lurking" -unseen- during the surgical removal.

While this idea still focuses on "reacting" to the disease rather than creating a path to avoid it, it seems like it is a wonderful next step in the progression of cancer treatment. Cancer in one person can cause fear, pain, heartache, and a myriad of other painful symptoms in an entire family (family friends included), and I think it's safe to bet that everyone would prefer to avoid that kind of distress. The Susan G. Komen Foundation has created a tagline that really captures the viewpoint of anyone who's been touched by this disease: "Everyone deserves a lifetime."

To your health and happiness!