Vaccine shows promise in early research.(Brief Article)

2002 JUN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An experimental vaccine for brain cancer has shown promising results in preliminary investigations at the University of California Los Angeles Jonsson Cancer Center.

The results are published in Cancer Research.

The vaccine, studied first as a preventive strategy for brain tumors, completely prevented brain tumor formation in laboratory rats. In contrast, all of the rats that did not receive the vaccine developed very aggressive brain tumors.

"The results of our study are very encouraging. The 100% protection is pretty dramatic," said Dr. Linda Liau, a brain cancer surgeon, researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and lead author of the journal article. "However, we don't yet have ways to determine who is at high risk of developing brain tumors. So our next step is to begin preliminary testing of this vaccine as a possible treatment strategy for brain tumors."

There is a critical need for more effective therapies for brain cancer, which affects more than 17,000 Americans each year and is almost 100% fatal, Liau said. Malignant gliomas are the most deadly type of cancerous brain tumor.

"Without any treatment, patients with the most aggressive gliomas usually do not live longer than 9 months. Even after surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, patients usually live only for as long as two years," said Liau, who also is an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the UCLA School of Medicine.

While the vaccine research shows promise, it will be several years before human testing may begin, Liau said.