Vaccine containing multiple antigens generates higher immune response.

2004 JUL 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A breast cancer vaccine containing multiple antigens may boost a patient's clinical response rate because this strategy increases the chances that the immune system will respond to at least one antigen.

That's the theory behind the work of J.F. Head and colleagues at the Elliott-Hailey-Head Breast Cancer Research & Treatment Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

In earlier work this group had found "that whole-cell preparations of breast carcinoma cells from either an autologous or allogeneic source (MCF-7 cells) and tumor antigens (CA 15-3, CEA, and CA125) could produce immune responses, increased lymphocyte proliferation in a lymphocyte blastogenesis assay (LBA), in breast cancer patients vaccinated with tumor cells, tumor antigens, and two biological adjuvants (IL-2 and GM-CSF)."

At the 2004 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology the researchers reported on a study "undertaken to determine if the use of multiple antigens, cells, and tumor antigens in a breast cancer vaccine could increase the proportion of patients demonstrating an immune response to vaccination." The title of their study was "Multiple antigens in a breast cancer vaccine result in a higher immune response rate in breast cancer patients."

According to their presentation, "Twenty-four patients were vaccinated 6 times with allogeneic cells, CA 15-3, CEA, and CA 125 antigens. LBAs were done before and after vaccination and the ratio of antigen to the media control was ...