New ‘remarkable’ pancreatic cancer vaccine offers fresh hope for patients

A vaccine which seems to slow down the progression of one of the most deadly cancers could be made In bulk, say the researchers.

Jab gave hope to patients after a test found it increased the survival of participants with pancreatic cancer.

The researchers described the results as “remarkable” and have already started to test the efficiency of the jab among a larger group of patients with pancreatic and intestinal cancer.

JAB uses a new type of immunotherapy, designed to improve the administration of the lymph nodes vaccine, which helps the body fight against infections and diseases.

Pancreatic and intestinal cancers frequently carry a mutation in a gene called Kras, which plays a key role in tumor growth, and scientists have developed the JAB to recognize and attack this gene.

The study, published in the journal Nature MedicineTested the JAB in 20 patients with pancreatic cancer and five with intestine cancer.

When the participants were followed after 20 months, 68% had developed strong immune responses specific to the mutant tumor proteins of Kras.

Participants who had the strongest immune responses lived and stayed without cancer longer than those who have lower responses.

Some patients have survived about two years and five months after receiving the vaccine.

In comparison, only three out of 10 people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive for a year.

Pancreas cancer has some of the poorest survival rates due to late detection. It generally does not cause symptoms in the first stages, and as it grows, it can cause stomach pain, skin yellowing, unexplained weight loss and changes in stool.

Many patients see their cancer return even after treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

But the trial has shown that the blow could help prevent cancer from returning for more than 15 months.

Unlike other cancer jabs that are personalized for individual patients, this vaccine, ELI-002 2P, has a single version that can be given to all patients, which means that it can be made of bulk and given more quickly.

Dr Dani Edmunds, research director of research at Research UK cancersaid: “It is promising to see that vaccines could help people with pancreatic and intestinal cancer living without cancer longer.”

“Additional research is necessary to understand why some people benefit from the vaccine while others do not do so, so that we can make sure that we beat cancer for everyone,” he added.

Professor Richard Sullivan, director of the Center for Conflict and Health Research at King’s College London, suggested that more research is necessary.

“There is an interesting science in this study, but it is far from proving a kind of clinical utility,” he said.