Sm,
and here's a second piece of news.
(Applies to: BIOM BIOMF)
STUDY SUGGESTS VACCINE INCREASES SURVIVAL IN OVARIAN AND BREAST CANCER
Patients Following High-Dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Stem Cell
Transplant
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Researcher Presents Results at
American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting in Atlanta
ATLANTA, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study suggests that the
administration of an experimental cancer vaccine following autologous
stem cell transplant can increase survival and decrease relapse in
ovarian and breast cancer patients when compared to the stem cell
transplant procedure alone. The data was presented today at the 35th
annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in
Atlanta, May 15-18, 1999.
The research team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, led by
Leona Holmberg, M.D., Ph.D., and Brenda Sandmaier, M.D., treated 40
cancer patients (11 high-risk stage II/III breast, 22 stage IV breast
and 7 stage III/IV ovarian) with high-dose chemotherapy followed by
autologous/syngeneic stem cell transplantation. Twenty-six of the 40
patients also received five doses of THERATOPE(R) vaccine (STn-KLH), a
therapeutic vaccine being developed by Biomira, Inc. of Alberta, Canada
(Nasdaq: BIOM) (TSE, ME: BRA) that induces the body's immune system to
mount a response against cancerous cells.
All patients were treated between Sept. 1, 1995 and Nov. 18, 1997. To
gain preliminary evidence of the potential efficacy of the THERATOPE(R)
vaccine, the outcome of vaccinated patients was retrospectively
compared to the outcome of patients not vaccinated.
Investigators found that the chance of death was more than 2 times
greater among patients in the control group compared to patients
vaccinated with THERATOPE(R) vaccine. The chance of relapse was
approximately 1.7 times greater for patients in the control group
compared to those vaccinated. In addition, those vaccinated patients
with the highest amount of specific killing activity against
STn-bearing cancer cells appeared to remain the longest in remission.
According to Dr. Holmberg, "THERATOPE(R) vaccine was well tolerated
after autologous stem cell transplant and appeared to decrease the
relative risk for relapse and death. These results need to be
considered within the debate over hematopoietic stem cell transplant as
a treatment for advanced stage IV disease."
"The use of immunotherapy is more likely to be successful when there is
significant reduction in tumor burden," added Dr. Sandmaier. "In
advanced disease states, more aggressive therapy combined with therapy
to stimulate the patient's own immune system may prove to be effective
therapy."
The cancer vaccine used in the study, THERATOPE(R) vaccine, is
currently being evaluated in a pivotal Phase III clinical trial which
will involve 900 evaluable patients with metastatic breast cancer at
approximately 75 sites worldwide.
ASCO's 1999 Annual Meeting is being held at the Georgia World Congress
Center and features over 150 scientific and educational presentations,
as well as an exhibition with over 250 industry representatives. It is
the largest professional meeting on clinical data about new cancer
therapies.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is an independent,
non-profit research institution dedicated to the development and
advancement of biomedical technology to eliminate cancer and other
potentially fatal diseases. Recognized internationally for its
pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation, the Center has four
scientific divisions collaborating to form a unique environment for
conducting basic and applied science. One of 35 National Cancer
Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country, it is
the only one in the Northwest. More information is available on the
Hutchinson Center web site at fhcrc.org . |
