response that lasted 89 weeks. A complete response means that cancer can’t be found anymore with blood or imaging tests, Brawley said.
Another patient, this one with gastroesophageal cancer, had a partial response that lasted for months, the researchers said. Partial response means that cancer has been reduced by 50 percent or more, Brawley said.
The remaining four patients, two with colon cancer, one with ovarian cancer and one with prostate cancer, saw their disease stabilize.
The researchers plan on combining the current vaccine with a drug that can help overcome cancer’s ability to suppress the immune system in the next phase of research. The drugs are called checkpoint inhibitors.
Brawley explained that everyone has white blood cells circulating in their blood, looking for cancer. These immune system cells find cancer cells and kill them. But cancer cells learn to outsmart these killer cells. They essentially put up a white flag to signal that they’re friendly when those white blood cells check on them. But checkpoint inhibitor drugs cover up that white flag, allowing the killer white blood cells to see the cancer cells.
Berzofsky said, “We think this combination could be more effective than the use of individual agents, as we believe vaccines can trigger the immune function and