A Promising New Breast Cancer Vaccine Is in the Works That Could Prevent Future Cases
Could a simple shot stop aggressive tumors? Inside the Cleveland Clinic trial that's changing lives—and who might be eligible
Odds are you know someone who has had breast cancer, or maybe you’re even a survivor yourself. But what if we told you there was a vaccine that could help reduce the risk you or a loved one ever experiences this devastating disease? Preventing or treating even aggressive forms of breast cancer with a vaccine might sound far-fetched. But new research suggests that’s changing. We spoke with doctors to learn everything we know so far about the new breast cancer vaccine researchers are testing right now.
What is triple-negative breast cancer and why is it so hard to treat?
Breast cancer is often discussed as a monolith, but it is classified into different subtypes based on where in the breast the cancer originates (for example, inside or outside the duct), how aggressive the cancer cells are and the presence or absence of hormone receptors. The breast cancer vaccine currently in trials is specifically designed to help treat and prevent triple-negative breast cancer. So what is this subtype?
“Triple negative breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer that does not have receptors for any one of the three hormones: estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR) and human epidermal growth factor (HER2), hence the term, ‘Triple negative,’” says Rani Aravamudhan, MD, Senior Medical Director at Nomi Health.
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“Because these receptors are absent, hormonal therapies and HER2-targeted drugs do not work,” adds Eugene Lipov, MD, CMO at Stella Mental Health.
Our experts say triple-negative breast cancer accounts for about 10 to 20 percent of all breast cancers. In other words, it’s not so rare, but it is less common than other forms of breast cancer. By receptor status, estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) breast cancer is the most common subtype, says Dr. Aravamudhan. “Broadly speaking, the most common form of breast cancer is invasive ductal carcinoma, accounting for about 80 percent of all breast cancers,” adds Mia Kazanjian, MD, a board-certified radiologist specializing in breast and body imaging.
Why this Cleveland Clinic trial is so groundbreaking
New Cleveland Clinic research presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium found that 74 percent of participants in phase one of the trial for the new breast cancer vaccine developed an immune response, meaning their bodies learned to recognize a protein called alpha-lactalbumin.
Why does that matter? “Alpha-lactalbumin is a milk protein produced and secreted only in breast milk,” explains Dr. Aravamudhan. “It is only produced in a lactating breast (when a person is pregnant and/or has given birth and is actively nursing the infant). It is a big part of the nutrition in breast milk. Alpha-lactalbumin is not produced by a healthy breast without pregnancy and lactation.”
Dr. Aravamudhan says cancer researchers have found that women with triple-negative breast cancer produce alpha-lactalbumin even when they are not pregnant or lactating. “Alpha-lactalbumin is expressed at high levels in about 70 percent of triple-negative breast cancers and is present on the surface of the cancer cells,” adds Dr. Kazanjian.
How does the breast cancer vaccine work?
Researchers believe the breast cancer vaccine’s mechanism of action would work very similarly to many existing vaccines, by signaling to the body that there’s an invader and training the immune system to respond.
“Scientists believe that since alpha-lactalbumin is typically absent in women who are not pregnant or lactating, the body can be trained to induce an immune response against it, essentially teaching it to recognize alpha-lactalbumin as a foreign protein and generate antibodies against it (just like it would against a virus or bacteria),” says Dr. Aravamudhan. “If the immune response is strong enough, it will kill the cancer cells that make the protein.”
Who is eligible for the breast cancer vaccine trials?
With many of us worried about the possibility of developing breast cancer, there will likely be a lot of interest in the vaccine. But could it actually be used broadly for anyone interested? “We have to see more data from further phases of the study to determine whether it will be limited to people at higher risk or opened more broadly,” says Dr. Kazanjian.
Still, Dr. Aravamudhan has some ideas about who may be eligible, including:
- People at high risk of developing breast cancer due to family history or who have genetic mutations like BRCA1 (especially), BRCA2 and PALB2
- People who are in remission from early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, as they have a high chance of recurrence
- People with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer who have not fully responded to chemotherapy and radiation.
What this means for the future of breast cancer prevention
The breast cancer vaccine, developed by the Cleveland Clinic along with a biotech company called Anixa Biosciences, has completed phase one trials and has now moved into the next stage of research.
The vaccine still has several trials to go through before it’s submitted to the FDA for approval (which evaluates safety, efficacy and side effects) and becomes widely available. “It is difficult to ascertain at this point when the vaccine could be available to patients, but it will be perhaps about five years, if things go well,” says Dr. Kazanjian.
“These early results show promise,” says Dr. Aravamudhan. “We now have confidence that the body can be induced to mount a measured immune response against a naturally-occurring protein when it’s produced under unnatural circumstances. There may be potential in the future to develop vaccines against all types of breast cancer.”
The bottom line: Hope is on the horizon
If you or someone you love has faced breast cancer, especially an aggressive one like triple-negative breast cancer, you know the fear and uncertainty that comes with it. But this research offers something powerful: real hope that one day, we might be able to prevent this aggressive disease before it ever starts. While we wait for more results, one thing is clear—the future of breast cancer treatment is brighter than ever before.
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