Cancer vaccine has 85 percent survival

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., July 29 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say dendritic cell vaccines may lead to long-term survival for metastatic melanoma patients, the most serious form of skin cancer.

The study, published in the journal Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals, reported eight out of 54 metastatic melanoma patients treated experienced remarkable long-term, progression-free survival -- even though they had widely metastatic disease and/or repeated appearance of new metastases despite various therapies.

"The one-year and projected five-year survival rates of 85 percent and 54 percent, respectively, are remarkable for melanoma patients with documented metastatic disease," study lead investigator Dr. Robert Dillman of the Hoag Cancer Center, Newport Beach, Calif., said in a statement. "This study is extremely encouraging and shows the potential these types of personalized cancer vaccines have for patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma."

The patient-specific vaccine, which was injected eight times over five months, was designed to stimulate the patient's immune system and included an immune stimulator called granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. The vaccine was derived from the patient's own melanoma cells as well as the patients own immune cells -- dendritic cells obtained from the blood.