Vaccines and clinical trials
Clinical trials are key to learning more about both cancer prevention vaccines and cancer treatment vaccines. Researchers are testing vaccines for many types of cancer, including:
Bladder cancer. Researchers are testing how well a vaccine made from a virus altered with the HER2 antigen works. These antigens or molecules live on the surface of some bladder cancer tumors. The virus may help teach the immune system to find and destroy these tumor cells. Researchers also want to know which works better: standard bladder cancer treatment or standard treatment with a vaccine.
Brain tumors. There are many studies testing treatment vaccines aimed at certain molecules on the surface of brain tumor cells. Some focus on newly found brain cancer. Others focus on cancer that has come back, or recurred. Many of the studies include children and teens.
Breast cancer. Many studies are testing treatment vaccines for breast cancer, given alone or with other treatments. Other researchers are working to get vaccines that prevent breast cancer into clinical trials.
Cervical cancer. As explained above, the FDA approved HPV vaccines that prevent cervical cancer. Research continues on vaccines that help treat each stage of cervical cancer.
Colorectal cancer. Researchers are making treatment vaccines that tell the body to attack cells with antigens thought to cause colorectal cancer. These antigens include carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), MUC1, guanylyl cyclase C, and NY-ESO-1.
Kidney cancer. Researchers are testing many cancer vaccines to treat kidney cancer. They are also testing vaccines to prevent kidney cancer in its later stages from coming back.
Leukemia. Studies are looking at treatment vaccines for various types of leukemia, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Some are meant to help other treatments, such as a
bone marrow/stem cell transplant, work better. Other vaccines made from a person's cancer cells and other cells may help the immune system destroy the cancer.
Lung cancer. Lung cancer treatment vaccines in clinical trials target antigens.
Melanoma. Researchers are testing many melanoma vaccines, given alone or with other treatments. Destroyed melanoma cells and antigens in the vaccines tell the immune system to destroy other melanoma cells in the body.
Myeloma. There are many clinical trials looking at vaccines for people with multiple myeloma who are near remission. This means doctors can no longer find the cancer in the body and there are no symptoms. Researchers are also testing vaccines in people with
smoldering myeloma or who need to have an
autologous bone marrow/stem cell transplant.
Pancreatic cancer. Researchers are working on many treatment vaccines designed to boost the immune system's response to pancreatic cancer cells. The vaccine may be given as the only treatment or along with another treatment.
Prostate cancer. As noted above, sipuleucel-T is a vaccine that doctors can use to treat people with prostate cancer that has spread. Now studies are looking to see if the vaccine can help people with prostate cancer at earlier stages.
Learn more about the latest research for
specific cancers in this website's guidesand
finding a clinical trial
https://www.cancer.net/navigating-c...therapy-and-vaccines/what-are-cancer-vaccines