Discovery could eradicate breast cancer

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A new study could pave the way to a revolution when it comes to preventing cancer.

Can we create a vaccine that will prevent women from developing breast cancer? A team at the Cleveland Clinic has just published a series of impressive experiments that may pave the way for that. It's not the first vaccine against breast cancer, but it's different.

I discussed their results with Dr. Stephen Edge, co-director of the breast cancer service at Roswell Park.

Dr. Edge said, "Most breast cancer vaccines, or cancer vaccines in general, are proposed to be potential agents for people who already have cancer. These people are proposing that they may have a strategy by which we could prevent cancers from developing in the first place."

The leader of the Cleveland team expressed their goal very precisely.

Dr. Vincent Tuohy of the Cleveland Clinic explained, "We can vaccinate normal, healthy women, and make sure that they don't get the disease."

Vaccines work by targeting specific proteins. In this case, a particular protein called alpha-lactalbumin was chosen that is seen only in breast cancer and during nursing. The vaccine worked. They tried it in mice that had a gene that produces breast cancer. They were vaccinated or given a placebo vaccine at eight weeks of age, and by ten months, none of the vaccinated mice had tumors, but all of the placebo-injected mice developed cancers. That's pretty impressive - in mice.

"There are no clinical trials, there's no data in humans of any kind, but it's a fascinating concept," said Dr. Edge.

Soon they hope to begin clinical trials.

Dr. Edge said, "I can't really wait to see that vision, in my dream, come true."

Dr. Edge's among thousands of scientists, including many at Roswell Park and UB, who dream of helping conquer some form of cancer, and devote their lives to it. Some really good ideas don't work, but many of them do, and this might be one.

If this does work, it could take about ten years, maybe more, to be ready. Dr. Edge points out that the next generation is going to see cancer very differently from the way we see it, just as we see it differently from the last generation. And in two or three generations, we'll beat most cancers.