(CNBC) – An experimental cancer “vaccine” showed promising results in a small clinical trial of patients with lymphoma, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine. Researchers at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital tested the treatment in 11 patients with lymphoma. Their results were successful enough to warrant another clinical trial in March on lymphoma patients as well as breast and head-and-neck cancer. Researchers said some patients in the initial human trial went into full remission for months or even years.
The treatment “has broad implications for multiple types of cancer,” said lead author, Dr. Joshua Brody, director of the lymphoma immunotherapy program. “This method could also increase the success of other immunotherapies such as checkpoint blockade.” They refer to it as a vaccine because it causes a person’s immune system to fight the disease, though it’s not preventive like the flu shot. In this case, the treatment teaches the body to recognize tumors and attack them. READ MORE
