Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine

An experimental pancreas cancer vaccine, developed at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, is currently being tested in clinical trials.

Pancreatic Medical Oncologists Dr#
Elizabeth Jaffee and Dr# Daniel Laheru
have developed a treatment vaccine for
pancreatic cancer#

Pancreas cancer vaccines activate the immune system and lead immune cells, typically unable to detect cancer, to attack the cancer cells in the pancreas and throughout the body. With promising results from early vaccine studies, including a modest, but real improvement in survival time, the investigators continue to study the efficacy of the vaccine.

The treatment vaccine uses irradiated pancreas cancer cells that are incapable of growing, and have been genetically altered to secrete a molecule called GM-CSF. This molecule acts as a lure to attract immune system cells to the site of the tumor vaccine, where they encounter proteins called antigens on the surface of the irradiated cells. Then, these newly armed immune cells patrol the rest of the patient's body to destroy any remaining, circulating pancreas cancer cells.

Early results of the pancreas cancer vaccine clinical trials look promising:

• In 2005, data showed that two years into a study of 60 patients, 88 percent had survived one year, and 76 percent had survived two years
  
• In 2007, the researchers reported that three years into the study, the average survival time was 26.8 months

Ongoing studies of the vaccine are testing its abilities in conjunction with other therapies.

Frequently Asked Questions

(Updated January 2011)

Is the Johns Hopkins pancreatic cancer vaccine available now?
The experimental pancreatic cancer vaccine is being tested in clinical trials only at this point and is not available outside of these clinical trials. Two recent clinical trials were completed and closed to patient accrual. Two clinical trials -- one for newly-diagnosed patients eligible for surgical resection of their cancer and one for patients who are within 18 months of their Whipple surgery and are cancer free - remain open at Johns Hopkins, and a larger, multinstitutional trial is being planned. Patients who were on previous studies may continue to receive vaccine booster shots.

When will the next study begin? Can I put my name on the list?
A multi-institutional clinical trial using the pancreatic vaccine is currently being planned. Patients enrolled in this study will have had surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation, and are disease-free. We are unable to keep a list of individuals interested in the vaccine, but we are always working on new studies utilizing the pancreatic vaccine and we recommend you check back with us for updates on the clinical trials section of our Web site. Are there any other pancreatic cancer clinical trials available now at Johns Hopkins?

Yes. We are conducting a study for patients who can undergo surgery. The vaccine is given first and then surgery is performed two weeks later.  We are also conducting a study for patients who are within 18 months of their Whipple surgery and are cancer free.

Will I be able to find out if I'm eligible for a clinical trial over the phone?
No. Eligibility is determined after patients have been examined in person by our team of pancreatic cancer experts. Appointments can be made by calling our New Patient Appointment Department: 410-955-8964 (choose option 2 when prompted).

Are there other therapies that might be helpful to me?
Johns Hopkins pancreatic cancer experts can discuss a variety of treatment options available; including other clinical trials that do not include the vaccine. Please call our New Patient Appointment Department at 410-955-8964 (choose option 2 when prompted) to schedule a consultation with our experts.

New Approaches to the Pancreas Cancer Vaccine

• Using the Immune System to Improve Therapy
  In clinical trials of the experimental vaccine at Johns Hopkins, experts altered the standard, ordered regimen of surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In the most recent vaccine study, patients have been given the vaccine two weeks before surgery. Giving the experimental vaccine before surgery may enable it to attack the microscopic renegade pancreas tumor cells before they can take hold.
  
• Combined Chemotherapy/Vaccine Therapy
  With promising results from early vaccine studies, including a modest but real improvement in survival time, Johns Hopkins investigators continue to improve the vaccine. One approach is combining chemotherapy with the vaccine. This approach has been found to alter the tumor's environment, which seems to make the tumor more responsive to the vaccine.
  
  Reordering the treatment protocol and administering the vaccine before surgery gives the researchers an advance attack on the lethal tumor and also allows them to see what impact the treatment has had when they do operate.
  
  As part of their ongoing work, the team has found that giving radiation therapy at the same as (sequentially) with the vaccine actually improves the effectiveness of the vaccine.
  
• Combined Vaccine/Targeted Therapy
  This approach turns on the immune system while turning off cells that keep it from doing its job and slows the growth of the tumor, giving the vaccine more traction by blocking the mesothelin. Mesothelin is a protein that is believed to play a role in causing pancreatic cancers to grow and spread.
  
  More advances in pancreas cancer research