Cancer awareness blogs

A Vaccine for breast cancer?

By Sheryl
June 30, 2010

New research is exciting, but I am always skeptical. So many times it turns out to be a false start.

But I don’t want to be Debbie Downer, either, so let’s just assume that this might be the one that proves me wrong.

Cleveland Clinic researchers have developed a vaccine that prevents breast cancer in mice. Yes, I know it’s mice and not humans, but this at least warrants some attention, don’t you think? Trials in humans may begin as early as next year.

The scientists did a 10-month study on the effects of their vaccine on mice hat were genetically engineered to be predisposed to breast cancer. All of the mice that received the vaccine avoided cancer; while all the other mice – the ones that did not receive the vaccine – eventually developed breast tumors. The results were published in the June issue of Nature Medicine.

Can you imagine if this translated to humans? Wow. Breast cancer could be virtually eliminated. The lead researcher of the study, Vincent Puohy, Ph.D. did say it could be another 10 years before the vaccine is available to women. Still, it would be encouraging if the preliminary results on humans were good; who knows what kinds of other ideas and tweaks could come from this?

While there are other cancer vaccines, this would be the first of its kind. There is cervical cancer vaccine as well as a liver cancer vaccine – both aim to eliminate the actual viruses that cause cancer, rather than the formation of cancer itself. But since breast cancer is not caused by a virus, it was quite a bit more challenging for scientists to figure out a way to stop tumors from forming.

They did it by targeting a milk protein (a-lactalbumin) that is present in pregnant and lactating women; this same protein is also present in many breast cancers. The vaccine would be recommended for women over 40 (the same age that most women should begin mammograms), in order to avoid breastfeeding complications.

The vaccine may not be in time for many of us, but think of the possibilities for all the future women out there. In the interim, it’s still important to remember the steps you can take to lower your breast cancer risk: don’t smoke, eat a healthy diet full of fresh fruits and veggies and low in saturated fats, limit your alcoholic intake to one drink per day, get lots of exercise, try hard to avoid stress whenever possible and keep up your schedule of monthly breast self- exams and annual mammograms.

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