Jerry Asselin has been battling melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer for six years. He had undergone five surgeries and radiation therapy. His hopes now lay with a new approach. He's part of a clinical trial at Mass. General Hospital for a melanoma vaccine. But what they all have in common is an attempt to stimulate the body's immune system to specifically recognize a tumor.
Vaccine trials are underway for a variety of cancers including lung, breast, colon, and kidney.
One of the reasons this approach is so exciting is that there appear to be no side affects. More importantly, a few patients have shown remarkable improvement including Jerry who just got some great news that his tumor had shrunk more than half, and that was a considerable step. Current vaccine trials involve a relatively small number of patients. But if the vaccines continue to prove to be safe and beneficial the next step will be to expand the trials to include many more people. All Rights Reserved.