Breast Cancer Vaccine

[Dulin]

Sir:  I've read about the breast cancer vaccine and it sounds like this might be something positive.  I was wondering would someone with a suppressed immune system be eligible for this vaccine?  My husband had a liver transplant and has metatastic breast cancer to his distal femur.  He is on hormonal therapy and not eligible for chemo. Thank you.

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear Dulin, When we talk about cancer vaccines it is a little different than what we think of in terms of vaccines say for the flu.  Instead of preventing the initial disease, physicians are looking at cancer vaccines as a way to prevent a second episode of cancer. By teaching the body to watch out for certain characteristics of cancer cells, the vaccine jump-starts the immune system. The idea is that the immune system will then kill any remaining cancer cell before it can start forming a tumor. It will be years before the current vaccines are tested to see if they can prevent disease recurrence, and even longer before cancer vaccines can be tested for true disease prevention. Right now, the vaccines are in early clinical tests.

To answer your question specifically, a person would need to have a fully functioning immune system (one that is not suppressed by medication to prevent organ rejection) in order for a cancer vaccine to be used.

[Dulin]

If one can take herceptin with a suppressed immune system, why not the vaccine?  Thank you.