Modified Virus Vaccine Shows Promise in Mouse Model of Breast
Cancer BETHESDA, Md., March 14, 2008--Researchers have shown
that vaccinating mice with a modified form of a virus containing
proteins from breast cancer cells can kill large breast cancer
tumors and tumors that have spread to the lungs. The rodent
model of cancer used in this study closely resembles a type of
breast cancer seen in humans called HER2-positive. Although
other cancer vaccines have shown activity in the treatment of
very small tumors, their ability to influence large, established
tumors, such as many HER2-positive breast cancers, has proven
difficult. The study, led by researchers at the National Cancer
Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health,
appeared in the March 15, 2008, issue of "Cancer Research".
Therapeutic cancer vaccines are intended to disrupt new or
existing cancerous growth by stimulating the body's immune
system so that it recognizes the cancer as an invader. These
vaccines use certain protein molecules