Breast cancer vaccine: let’s get our hopes up
Breast cancer vaccine holds promise...doesn't it?
I was listening to a segment about breast cancer vaccines on NPR’s Science Friday on the way home from my massage today (ah yes, we’ll talk about that next week!)
Lead researcher, immunologist Vincent Tuohy from Cleveland Clinic, excitedly described his study, in which they injected a vaccine with the antigen alpha-lactalbumin into mice who were genetically predisposed to breast cancer. Half of the mice were injected with a placebo; the others with the real thing. The result: all of the mice with the placebo developed cancer and all of the mice with the vaccine never developed cancer. He said the vaccine could have monumental implications for preventing breast cancer and keeping existing tumors from growing.
Then they interviewed Dr. “Muckety Muck,” an oncologist in NYC. His response was to tell listeners not to get too excited about this. We don’t know how humans will respond; and even if it does work, it will probably take 10 years for it to make it available to us homo sapiens. Yada, yada, yada. Well, that’s interesting, because according to an article I came upon on Twitter, there is a possibility it will be tested on humans by next year!
Then he reported some of the findings from the American Association of Clinical Oncologists meeting this week that were much more low-key. For example, there is a treatment that would eliminate the need for a sentinel node biopsy to see if cancer is in the lymph nodes and a new chemo drug that may prolong disease-free survival. Good things, but in no way giving hope for a cure.
What is it about some doctors? They always seem to want to squash hope for people. My doctors are nothing like that, thank God. I related in a previous post how excited my oncologist was upon hearing about a vaccine for prostate cancer. And the doctor I consult with up in Indianapolis says he will be glad if his job is obsolete if it means there is a cure for cancer.
So what if this – or any other – development gets our hopes up? Would it be so bad if someone with advanced cancer happens to hang on for several more years waiting for an upcoming cure? Would it be so awful for mothers like me to have hope their daughters might never have to experience breast cancer?
I believe strongly hope is the best medicine. That’s why I wrote From Incurable to Incredible, which shows there is hope even if a doctor tells you you’re going to die.
Speaking of the book, I learned yesterday that it is now on the press! It should be ready to purchase online in a couple of weeks. I’ve been busy compiling my mailing list for the launch. Please contact me with your email or subscribe to this site, and I’ll make sure to send you a link to purchase it as soon as it’s available.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Sally says:
I’m with you when it comes to being frustrated with doctors (or people in general) who refuse to look at life from an optimistic viewpoint. What can possibly be wrong with “looking at the bright side” and thinking positively. And I don’t be looking at life with a blindfold on. What I mean is seeing ALL of life and looking at the wonder of it all and the joy of feeling hope. I actually feel sorry for those who call themselves “realists” when the reality is they are just plain angry or frustrated.
Peace and joy to you, everyday, no matter what you are experiencing.
sam elliston says:
I say “Ditto” to all that Sally just said, and kudos to you for finding all the hopeful information for all of us who need it.
Annette says:
When I started reading your post, I was impressed that you actually did a little googling and got the name of the immunologist and the name of the protein right. Then it’s “Dr. Muckity Muck,” because you think he really doesn’t want to help women with breast cancer? That’s a weak technique to try and make a point. He is deserving of respect, and his opinion on this matter is relevant (more so I would argue than an immunologist who by his own admission has NEVER studied breast cancer). If you listened closely you may have heard that the mice who were injected with the placebo were killed at ten months, long before the average mouse lifespan ends. So there is no scientific proof that this vaccine prevents cancer, although it may delay the onset in mice (which is also important, but not the same as prevention). And again if you listened closely you would have heard Dr. Hudis say he was very excited by the promise of this work.
You can be as “positive” as you would like, but it won’t change the reality of what this study showed. We’d all like to see an end to the suffering that cancer brings, but injecting women guinea pigs with a vaccine of unknown efficacy and unknown side effects isn’t the way to do it. It’s not like a drug that you can test and stop if something goes wrong. A vaccine can’t be undone. (One more point, Dr. Tuohy himself said ten years until clinical trials get started; see his interview on MSNBC’s “Coutndown.” It’s the first thing he says. Maybe getting it from the horse’s mouth, rather than Twitter, will convince you.)
tamilb says:
Tami here, resident blogger. I wanted to respond to Annette’s comment. I think she brings up some very valid points. I did not mean any disrespect to Dr. Hudis; I understand that he is a one of the leading breast cancer oncologists and researchers in the U.S. I was using “Dr. Muckity Muck” in a joking way and also did not want to use his name given the nature of my comments.
I sometimes give doctors a hard time, but I am extremely grateful for these hardworking individuals who are seeking a cure for cancer and treating patients every day.
I am not a physician or scientist. I am speaking entirely from the viewpoint of a stage IV survivor and those among us who are desperately seeking a cure. My post was more emotional than science-based. I did not consider the irreversibility of vaccines, so that is a good point to consider. I still feel this is a very hopeful development that we should all follow carefully.
I want to emphasize to visitors that I am sharing from my personal experience and things that I have read. Nothing I write should be considered medical advice. Visitors are encouraged to do their own research and ask their physicians about new treatments and medical studies.