Vaccine may double survival in patients with deadly br...(e vaccine treatments. The temozolomide i...),Health

This reflected something of a surprising conclusion, because it stands to reason that chemotherapy, which suppresses the bodys immune system, would make the vaccine less effective, Sampson said. What we found was that the opposite is true. While the body is recovering from chemotherapy, immune response is actually stronger as the immune system overcompensates in order to right itself. Its the perfect time to introduce a vaccine.

Patients in the study survived without re-growth of their tumors for a median of 16.6 months, which more than doubles the usual 6.4-month expected progression-free survival in these patients.

Study patients lived for an average of 33.1 months; patients who are diagnosed with GBMs and treated with standard therapy typically live an average of 14.3 months.

Were more than doubling survival time in this group, and we have some patients who are four, five or six years out from diagnosis, which is virtually unheard of in these people, Sampson said.

The vaccine has caused virtually no side effects; swelling at the injection site is often a patients only complaint. A Phase III trial is now open at more than 20 sites nationwide.

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