Nov 8, 2006 2:40 pm US/Pacific
Breast Cancer Survivor Develops Vaccine
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) ―
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Dr. Yvonne Paterson is on the cutting edge of breast cancer research.
AP
Yvonne Paterson was a mother, 42, and a medical researcher. She was in the prime of her life until she received the devastating news that she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I said what do you mean? I just wanted to have the comfort in my mind that it had gone and I had gotten rid of it. So I opted to have the mastectomy," Paterson said.
Twenty years later Dr. Paterson is more than a survivor because she's on the cutting edge of breast cancer research developing a vaccine at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center.
"This is very exciting. It can seek and destroy tumor cells and eliminate them," said Paterson.
The therapy isn't like a traditional preventative vaccine; however it is more of a treatment. It triggers the body's own immune system to kill cancer cells.
"We've shown that we can either eliminate, eradicate all together or stop the growth of breast tumors in mice," said Paterson.
Within a year Dr. Paterson expects to test the vaccine in breast cancer patients who have already gone through conventional treatment, like radiation or chemotherapy.
"The idea is that it will promote survival by decreasing the risk of recurrence. Eliminating all of those residual tumor cells that the conventional therapy hasn't managed to kill," Dr. Paterson said.
Dr. Paterson hopes the experimental vaccine will eventually give other breast cancer patients something more than another treatment option.
"This can give them peace of mind, like the peace of mind I didn't have 20 years ago. I think that would be a really great achievement," Paterson said.
Dr. Paterson only wishes it could happen sooner because it may take years for this injectable vaccine to be FDA approved.
Breast Cancer patients who want to put their name on a list for the upcoming trial call Dr. John Rothman at 908-236-9513.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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