SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — I’m very excited about this trial because pancreatic cancer kills roughly 88% of patients. And the reason why survival rates are so low is because it’s very hard to detect in the early stages when it’s most curable. On top of that, even when tumors are removed, about 90% of patients will see the cancer return within seven to nine months.
But there may be hope on the horizon. Scientists at BioNTech – who created the COVID mRNA vaccine with Pfizer - teamed up with an American biotech company called Genentech. And here’s what happened. 16 patients were recruited and their tumors were surgically removed. Scientists then sequenced the genetic code and analyzed specific proteins on the cancer cells from each patient’s tumor. Using this data, 16 tailor-made mRNA vaccines were created. Each patient received eight doses of their vaccine intravenously, then six months of chemotherapy, followed by one more experimental vaccine dose.
And here’s the good news. Blood tests showed that half of the patients developed T-cells that could potentially recognize and attack pancreatic cancer cells. And 18 months later, none of these patients showed signs of the cancer returning. Whereas the group that didn’t receive a personalized vaccine, the cancer returned in most cases about 13 months after surgery.
It took about nine weeks to make the vaccine but the company expects the process could be shortened to four weeks. As for costs, each dose is just under $100,000. That’s quite pricey, but remember, this is all still in the experimental stages. There were only 16 participants so we need a much larger clinical trial to see how successful the personalized vaccine really is.
In the meantime, it’s important for people to know the risk factors. Because pancreatic cancer is often called the “silent killer”. Meaning most people don’t notice or experience symptoms until the cancer has spread.
So here are a few key risk factors to be aware of:
- Smoking: tobacco use is one of the most important risk factors for pancreatic cancer
- Obesity: especially if you carry excess weight around your waist
- Type 2 diabetes: sudden-onset diabetes could potentially be a sign of this deadly disease
- Chemical exposure: specifically pesticides and petrochemicals
- Lastly, know your family history because pancreatic cancer seems to run in some families. And be sure to discuss all these risk factors with your family physician.
This week on the Dr. Nandi show:
When we’re ill, one of our first instincts is to find a doctor and seek out a prescription to solve the problem. But what if there are other methods of healing the body that do not require medication? In this episode, Dr. Nandi and experts discuss alternatives to Western medicine, including exploring musical and sound therapy, nutritional response testing, and animal therapy. Tune in this Sunday, May 14th at 1 pm to watch "Alternative Therapies."
