THE DEVELOPMENT of a vaccine by US scientists which has prevented breast cancer from developing in mice is very promising, an Irish consultant medical oncologist said yesterday.
Dr Bryan Hennessy, who practices at Dublin’s Beaumont hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, said while the research was at an early pre-clinical stage, the science behind it was “strong” and the results in mice were impressive.
“The whole idea of developing a breast cancer vaccine is novel. Breast cancer has not traditionally been thought of as something that could be targeted with a vaccine.”
This was, he explained, because breast cancer was not caused by a foreign infection or a virus-like cervical cancer, which the HPV vaccine targets.
He said the vaccine looked promising because it targeted a milk protein that was selectively working in both normal breast cells and in 50 to 70 per cent of breast cancer cells, but was not expressed outside the breast.
If and when it comes to clinical trials of the vaccine it will probably be investigated in women in their mid to late 40s who have finished breast feeding and having children, he said.
“You possibly would not want to give it to younger women who might plan to breast feed because it could disrupt the normal breast function.”
He said breast cancer was mainly a disease in those aged 50 to 65 years – the age group targeted by the national breast cancer screening programme – which was another reason to try the vaccine among those in that age bracket.
Dr Hennessy, who is also an adjunct professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre where he did a lot of breast cancer research before recently returning to Ireland, cautioned that the research had only been done in mice and “while it is potentially promising a lot of studies that do look successful in mice don’t make the splash”.
Nonetheless, the results in the mice looked “impressive” and “the science is strong” so there was “a reasonable chance” that the work already done may translate into something that benefits people.
Prof John Crown, a cancer specialist at Dublin’s St Vincent’s hospital, said it would take many years to determine if the work of the US scientists actually had an effect on humans.
“Certainly a trial aimed at preventing breast cancer would take a very long time indeed to show results, but it’s always good to see novel potential fronts open in the war against breast cancer,” he said. “I believe it’s scientifically a very interesting approach.”
Christine Murphy-Whyte, chairperson of Europa Donna Ireland, welcomed the news of a possible vaccine. However, she emphasised the need for caution in interpretation of what this means at this stage.
“Breast cancer is a very complex disease with multiple forms and it is not clear . . . which forms the vaccine is targeting. Long-term large-scale clinical trials are essential to determine whether this could be an effective and safe vaccine for humans.
“Europa Donna is deeply committed to evidence-based practice in relation to breast cancer, and follows research developments in Europe and internationally very closely.”
Some 2,815 women and 22 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in the State in 2008.