UPMC moving forward with clinical trials for early stage breast cancer vaccine
UPMC and University of Pittsburgh researchers announced in August they would be testing the vaccine.
UPMC and University of Pittsburgh researchers announced in August they would be testing the vaccine.
Through an upcoming clinical trial, approximately 50 women will receive a new vaccine for early-stage breast cancer developed by UPMC and University of Pittsburgh researchers.
The health system is moving forward with trials of the vaccine, which researchers hope will prevent progression of breast cancer caught in its early stages.
UPMC plans to introduce the first patient to have received all three doses — North Hills resident Maria Kitay — at noon on Thursday at an event at the UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Auditorium. She will receive the last of the three doses the morning of the event, according to a UPMC spokesperson.
The vaccine is the first of its kind to be used for Stage-0 ductal carcinoma in situ, which is considered noninvasive. At that point, the cells within the tumor have not spread. According to UPMC, about one in five new breast cancers will be diagnosed as ductal carcinoma in situ. It is considered the earliest form of breast cancer and typically is detected during a mammogram. Previous research has focused on testing vaccines in advanced breast cancers.
The vaccine series will be administered along with the standard of care for early stage breast cancer, which entails surgical removal of the tumor after receiving the vaccine series.
According to a UPMC spokesperson, researchers believe the vaccine will boost the immune system to recognize the precancerous cells and prevent them from becoming invasive cancer cells. If the vaccine does what it is expected to, women may not have to undergo surgery.
UPMC and University of Pittsburgh researchers announced in August they would be testing the vaccine. The $100,000 seed money needed to launch the clinical trial came from the Pittsburgh area nonprofit Glimmer of Hope, which was founded with the goal of funding programs, treatments and research targeting breast cancer.
The vaccine is given in three doses, two weeks apart, at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. According to an UPMC announcement, it was developed after decades of research by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center immunologist Dr. Olivera Finn.
The clinical trial will evaluate how well the immune systems of women with newly diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ respond to the vaccine. It is being conducted in collaboration with UPMC Magee breast surgeon Dr. Emilia Diego and medical oncologist Dr. Julia Foldi.