CEL-SCI Receives Permission to Start Breast Cancer Study in Israel
VIENNA, Va., May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- CEL-SCI CORPORATION (Amex: CVM) (Berlin:LSR) announced today that the Israeli Health Authorities have granted permission to start a clinical trial in breast cancer patients with CEL-SCI's immunotherapy drug, Multikine(TM). The study will enroll up to 20 patients, at two doses, having primary, invasive (stage II) carcinoma of the breast. This type of tumor is typically treated by local excision of the tumor and of the regional lymphnodes. Multikine will be administered as part of an 18 day regimen, similar to a regimen shown to reduce tumor size in head and neck cancer patients.
This stage of a breast tumor presents the surgeon and the patient with the dilemma of trying to determine the extent of the breast resection required to minimize the chances of local recurrence of the tumor, while trying to preserve the patient's breast and quality of life. It is the hope of CEL-SCI researchers, based upon observations made in several studies using Multikine in head and neck cancer patients, that the pretreatment of the breast tumor with Multikine will induce targeted anti-tumor immune responses, which will ultimately lead to lower recurrence rates and improve quality of life in this stage of tumor.
Multikine has been tested as an adjunct cancer therapy in over 100 cancer patients. Study results on 58 patients have been announced so far. Between 50% and 100% of the cancer patients in those studies have had tumor reductions, depending on the dose, frequency and route of administration. The Company now believes that the potential of Multikine should be evaluated in other solid tumor types.
Geert Kersten, Chief Executive Officer of CEL-SCI said, "The message we have received from the clinical investigators in head and neck cancer is the following: Multikine is safe and induces anti-tumor responses. The number of patients who show tumor reductions and the magnitude of these reductions vary with the dose given, the frequency of the administration and the route of administration. We are now taking what we think is the best doses to test whether patients with breast cancer will benefit from Multikine treatment."
Multikine is a natural mixture of human immune system regulators called cytokines. It contains Interleukin-2 and other cytokines, several of which are being investigated individually as potential cancer and HIV treatments. Multikine is currently in U.S., Canadian and Israeli clinical trials.
CEL-SCI Corporation is developing novel immunotherapies and vaccines for cancer, AIDS and other major diseases |
