MD Anderson Cancer specialists hopeful of new era of cancer vaccine therapy

Researchers at the USA-based University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Center say that in-house clinical trials of their cancer vaccines are producing "very promising results" in difficult-to-treat indications such as advanced myeloid leukemia, glioblastoma multiforme, aggressive lymphoma and melanoma.

In 2003, the MD Anderson Center opened its Cancer Immunology Research facility, which is believed to be the first comprehensive program in the USA uniting both basic and clinical immunologists in open laboratory environments to develop immunological treatments for cancer. Now, just a few year later, several of the Center's vaccines have shown strong anti-tumor activity and one has produced the first clinical demonstration that a vaccine could produce complete molecular remission.

Patrick Hwu, chairman of the Center's Department of Melanoma, said: "this is an exciting time in cancer research, given our increased understanding of the molecular nature of cancer and the immune response."