Breakthrough mRNA vaccine shows promise in preventing pancreatic cancer’s return, early study finds
A personalized mRNA vaccine may significantly reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer returning after surgery, according to a groundbreaking preliminary study published Wednesday in Nature journal, Americandiary24 reports.
Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of cancer, with a typical survival rate of just about a year post-diagnosis. However, the new study offers a glimmer of hope for improving outcomes.
Led by Dr. Vinod P. Balachandran, the trial involved 16 patients, half of whom developed a strong immune response to the vaccine. Remarkably, most of these responders remained cancer-free for over three years—substantially longer than those who didn’t respond.
The mRNA vaccine works by training T cells, the immune system's specialized fighters, to recognize and attack lingering cancer cells. Although tumor shrinkage couldn’t be monitored (as all patients had undergone surgery to remove visible tumors before vaccination), researchers found that the vaccine produced durable T cells capable of potentially defending against cancer for years.
“This is one way to generate large numbers of T cells that can persist long-term and retain their cancer-fighting function,” said Dr. Balachandran.
He emphasized the significance of the findings, noting that generating an immune response in pancreatic cancer has long been a major challenge, as the disease typically resists traditional vaccines.
A larger clinical trial is now underway to validate these promising results. If successful, this approach could pave the way for new treatments—or even preventive strategies—against pancreatic and other hard-to-treat cancers.
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