Vaccine May Increase Survival Rate for Lung Cancer

In an international study of the investigational vaccine BLP-25, researchers found the vaccine to be well tolerated without compromising quality of life for patients with non?small cell lung cancer. A more significant finding was that the vaccine group had a survival rate that was 4.4 months longer. Patients in the trial received either BLP-25 plus best standard of care or just best standard of care.

Additional trials are being developed to see what role BLP-25 may play in the treatment of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women in the United States. The vaccine, which was designed to induce an immune response to cancer cells, may undergo a multinational phase 3 trial in 2005.