vaccine trial?

hi everybody-

there has been alot in the media recently about cancer vaccines as a breakthrough in the fight against cancer. The aim of the cancer vaccines is to restore or strengthen the immune systems’s ability to attack cancer cells (also referred to as immunology). The vaccines use different methods. The simplest idea is to combine fragments of the cancer cell with an adjuvant – a material known to provoke the immune system into action – in the hope that this will create a much stronger immune response. Another approach is to take specialised white blood cells from the patient, mix them with the cancer cells, then inject them back. The idea is that these dendritic cells – the most powerful immune-inducing cells in the body – will help the immune system to recognise and the attack the cancer.

These vaccines are available now for some cancers (inc kidney and colon) – but most interestingly for cholangio patients trials using the vaccine are recruiting patients for pancreatic cancer (we know that cholangio drugs started life as pancreatic and colon cancer treatments) – SO WHY CAN’T WE HAVE THESE NOW FOR CHOLANGIO? – treatments for the more common cancers are so much more advanced then for cholangio. Numbers of patients diagnosed with cholangio are rising rapidly, it is about time that some of these cutting edge treatments came available to our loved ones inflicted with this vicious disease.

I am currently trying to locate a trial for a vaccine that will take cholangio patients – I need some help! – I would really appreciate it if all of you the next time you meet with your oncologist could discuss the above and feed back any information that you can gather – also if anybody knows of any trial worldwide taking place would you let us know? Also if anybody has any more knowledge of the suitability of these vaccines for cc could you share it? I think that between us we could really raise the profile of rarer cancers such as cholangio.

Thanks –

Jules