Pancreatic cancer vaccine: What to know about early promising results

The person is Michael Le Page.

Pancreatic cancer is the leading cause of death in Americans. The results of a small initial trial of autogene cevumeran, which is tailored to each individual's cancer, are promising.

What were the results?

The vaccine was given to 16 people after they had their tumours removed. In eight, the vaccine didn't work and their cancers came back. The vaccine resulted in a good response and they were cancer-free for 18 months. The results were announced by the vaccine's developer.

Does this mean the vaccine could help up to half of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer?

It's unfortunate not. This is not a large trial. Confirmation of the result will require larger and longer trials. The trial only involved people who had their cancer detected early enough that they could have an operation to remove the tumours before they spread. Chris Macdonald is the head of research at Pancreatic Cancer UK. Even if larger trials confirm the initial results, it remains to be seen if this vaccine can help people with more advanced Pancreatic Cancer.

Why is pancreatic cancer diagnosed late?

The symptoms of the disease are not clear. 70 per cent of people are too sick to be treated by the time it's detected.

How does the mRNA vaccine work?

Cancer cells are compared with healthy cells from the same person when a tumours is removed. In order to distinguish cancer cells from healthy ones, BioNTech looks for genes that have been altered in the cancer cells. Up to 20 of the company's genes can be injected into a person. The goal is to get the immune system to destroy any cells that produce these proteins. The principle is the same as for the vaccine against covid-19.

Our bodies are recruited to make their own medicines using the mRNA technique. It could make treatments cheaper and simpler.

Was the vaccine the only treatment given in the trial?

It is not possible to say yes. They received a drug called atezolizumab in this trial. The immune system can't attack some cancers because they tell it not to.

Will those who responded to the vaccine remain cancer-free?

Larger trials and longer follow ups will tell. The vaccine could cause cancer cells to evolve to resist it. The reason why many tumours respond to treatments is because of this. MacDonald says you run the risk with every cancer type.

When will this vaccine become more widely available?

It is not possible to say because the decisions of BioNTech and regulatory authorities are what matter. If larger trials are successful, regulators are likely to speed up the approval process.

Is this the first mRNA vaccine against cancer?

Far away from it. The approach to treating cancer has been used by researchers for at least 2008 The results have been mixed but the technology is getting better and the success of the covid-19 vaccine has given the field a boost. Many trials are currently underway or planned, but no vaccine has been approved yet.

Are there other kinds of cancer vaccine besides mRNA ones?

There are a lot of them. A few cancer vaccines have already been approved. The brand name for sipuleucel-T is Provenge, and it is a vaccine that stimulates the immune system to fight cancer. The vaccines that prevent cancer infections by limiting infections caused by the viruses that cause them are proving to be very effective.

What else could mRNA vaccine technology be used for?

The vaccine makes our bodies produce a small amount of the vaccine's target. A lot of highly effective treatments, such as antibodies, are based on the body's immune system. It could lead to better treatments for a wide range of diseases and disorders if we could get our bodies to make large quantities of therapeutic proteins using the technology.