New vaccine sparks immune responses in pancreatic cancer patients
Mayo Clinic researchers tested a new vaccine during a randomized phase 2 trial involving patients with pancreatic cancer.
This clinical study included 144 patients who had previously undergone surgery and chemotherapy for KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancer. At the start, none showed visible signs of disease on imaging tests when the trial began officially.
As controls, the other group did not get the shot. Of the 90 participants treated with the medicine, nearly all developed heightened T-cell activity targeting the mutated gene found in tumors effectively today in this research.
Although disease-free survival did not differ significantly between groups, those with stronger immune responses appeared protected from recurrence. Longer disease-free survival times were seen in an exploratory analysis for patients showing greater immunity to the injection given here.
The new treatment aims to direct immune cells to specific locations where the tumor hides. A planned phase 3 trial will add more boosters to the vaccine roster and test combinations with other therapies soon in the lab.
“What is encouraging is that we were able to generate a strong immune response against KRAS mutations in nearly every patient we evaluated.”