Trovax ("cancer vaccine")?

grandma2selena said:

Trovax
I had heard about Trovax, but also had heard about problems with it. I did hear the other day that they are coming closer to designing vaccines according to the make up of your own cancer that can be given post treatment as a vaccine to boost the immune system and prevent cancer from coming back. The article is here: http://www.king5.com/health/cancer/stories//NW_121908HEK_cancer_breakthroughs_shot_SW.6ce824a7.html

Now at this point they are looking at breast and ovarian cancer, but in the report on TV it went further to say at this time they are looking at designing these vaccines for all types of cancers.

Debbie

Trovax
Hi Debbie and Tara,

I guess they have to do more work before this vaccine becomes an option. I have spent so much time since my mum was diagnosed doing research on possible treatments. It sounds like some form of gene therapy or nanotechnology will be the treatment of the future and will be able to stop even advanced metastatic crc. Steven Curley of MD Anderson is also working on trials with a device invented by John Kanzius that uses radiation and gold nanoparticles to get at tumors and cancer in the bloodstream.

My mum is doing a bit better today but it's been a rough few days. The surgeon and the oncologist have finally agreed on a strategy, and we have worked out a system for the painkillers. She'll be starting Vectibix tomorrow and they will wait a few days to see if it has an effect on the ascites. Has anyone here taken Vectibix with Irinotecan?

If it does work, they'll be able to take the drains out. So many ifs...It's a rollercoaster for the caretakers and I can't even imagine what it's like for cancer patients. You are all so brave. I keep reading your stories for inspiration and every time my mum begins to lose hope I tell her there are people who have gone through so much like her and are still grateful for every day. It's hard, though, to strike a balance between fighting and looking for more treatments, and not giving her a hard time.

I had hoped that the surgical oncologist who was following her case in Germany would have a solution. He had come up with a plan where they would do HIPEC for her peritoneal mets, RFA for her liver mets, and conformal radiotherapy for her lung mets. Then when he saw her most recent PET-CT he advised that we stick with chemo... I had heard the same opinion -- only chemo possible -- from an oncologist at Georgetown U Hospital, John Marshall, who is actually developing another vaccine to harness cancer patients' immunity against crc (but they have to be candidates for surgical resection of liver mets). So I am starting to come to terms with the fact that I have to stop looking for a magic bullet at this point, and just spend as much time as I can with my mum, let her know how much I love her, and try to make things as easy as possible.

Argh. Now I'm depressed again.

Thanks for your answers!

Pascale