Dendritic cell-based breast cancer vaccine targeting HER-2/neu shows promise in DCIS. Overexpression of HER-2/neu is involved in up to 60% of high grade DCIS lesions in the breast. Dr. Brian J. Czerniecki and his team studied the vaccine in women with HER-2/neu over-expressing ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). At the meeting, Dr. Czerniecki, from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia reported results of an initial group of 12 women undergoing standard DCIS treatment who received the experimental vaccine, administered as four weekly injections into normal lymph nodes in the groin. Each injection contained 10 to 20 million HER-2/new pulsed dendritic cells. The vaccine elicited "very high rates" of cellular and humoral immune activation in the majority of women, Dr. Czerniecki told the conference. Anti-HER-2/neu CD4+ T-cells were detected in the peripheral blood and in sentinel nodes of most of the women and CD8+ T-cells recognized HER-2/neu-expressing breast cancer cells. Post-vaccination, anti-HER-2/neu antibodies bound to DCIS were frequently detected. Moreover, Dr. Czerniecki said: "We saw lymphocytes that were activated elsewhere in the body travel into the breast and surround the ducts and we saw duct destruction." Half of the women experienced "dramatic reductions" in HER-2/neu expression following vaccination in residual DCIS, the team reports, "and there were associated apparent reductions in the extent of DCIS in half the patients as well." The results demonstrate "for the first time a dendritic cell vaccine with significant clinical activity," the authors point out. Thanks to AACR press release and Reuters report, November 2006 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.