prr - canvas article in uk telegraph

Some worldwide attention statring to focus on Prima ...

A new article from The Telegraph - Wednesday 25 January 2012 | :

"Hope of a new treatment for ovarian cancer sufferers

A friend of mine has ovarian cancer. Her husband, who is not a member of the medical profession, is conducting his own research project to find the best way forward for her. Her last programme of chemotherapy involved a drug which had such a serious effect on her liver that her oncologist stopped the course – but it has taken months for her to regain her strength and, depending on the results of her next scan, face another bout of chemotherapy.
Michael – as I will call him – is, understandably, desperate to find a cure or, at least, something which will halt the progress of the disease.
Avastin has been passed by the European Medicines Agency for use on patients with ovarian cancer, but still has the Nice hurdle to overcome, so that may or may not be a possibility for her.
Michael has discovered that a trial is underway in Australasia, Europe and the USA. Called Canvas, it involves 150 centres in 22 countries and is a trial of a new immunotherapy treatment called CVac – specifically for ovarian cancer patients. There is a similar treatment, called Provenge, being developed in the USA for prostate cancer.
At present, cancer cells are not all killed by chemotherapy because they "outwit" the drugs – but CVac is a process which uses the patients own cells to stimulate the immune system, which then launches an attack on cancer cells.
Blood is taken from the patient, and the dendritic cells separated from their fellow white blood cells. Once separated, the dendritic cells are cultured to grow 200-600 million more. These are then "pulsed" with the Manna-Mucin-1 Fusion Protein and the Mucin-1 antigen is "internalised" by the dendritic cells. Mucin-1 is naturally present in ovarian cancer cells.
CVac is then injected back into the patient and the CVac activates the T-cells – which replicate themselves when an antigen is recognised – to produce a Mucin-1 specific immune response (CTL). The CTL targets and destroys the cancer cells.
Michael has spoken to Dr Schmiedeknecht in Leipzig, the scientist working on the German part of the trial. Dr Schmiedeknecht told him that the huge advantage of the treatment is that, unlike chemotherapy, the only side effect expected is a possible fever. However, it will be – at least – four years before the treatment is available and passed by the European Medicines Agency and NICE.
Extraordinarily, my friend's oncologist – when asked about the treatment – had never heard of it. Although the trial does not involve any medical research centres in the UK, it does seem inexplicable that something which "uses the power of live human cells to engage the patient's own system" is not on the radar of this particular UK oncologist. Perhaps it is because the treatment is classed as "maintenance" rather than "cure"?
The symptoms of ovarian cancer are non-specific but can involve any or all of the following – as, of course, can other conditions so, if you are concerned, please do not delay but go immediately to your GP. As with all cancers, diagnosing ovarian cancer early is vital – but it might mean insisting on screening (which is a blood test). Not enough GPs are totally aware of these symptoms and what they might mean.
The charity Ovarian Cancer Action (www.ovarian.org.uk, helpline number 0300 456 4700) lists:
• Swollen abdomen
• Persistent pain, pressure or discomfort in the abdomen
• Difficulty eating and feeling full quickly
Prima Biomed, the Australian company working on the treatment, adds:
• Change in bowel habits
• Urinary changes
• Bleeding
• Indigestion or nausea
• Gaining or losing weight
• Lower back pain
• Feeling unusually tired
• Flatulence
• Pain during sex
The risk factors are personal or family history of breast, ovarian, endometrial, prostate or colon cancer; uninterrupted ovulation due to infertility; no use of birth control pills and no pregnancy; being over 40 years old (ages 70-79 carry the highest risk); use of high doses of oestrogen without progesterone.
I asked Dr James Benton, Cancer Research UK's ovarian cancer clinician, for his opinion of the research. He said: "“This study is one of many studies investigating the use of treatment vaccines designed to help the body’s own immune system fight off cancer. At the moment, though, it's not clear whether this treatment can help patients live longer, so we'll have to wait and see what the results show.”
At the moment, it is thought that this form of immunotherapy will be used after surgery and the first course of chemotherapy – but wouldn't it be wonderful if, one day, it could take the place of toxic drugs? "

the link
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/judithpotts/100132283/hope-of-a-new-treatment-for-ovarian-cancer-sufferers/