Fabrice Barlesi, director general of the Gustave Roussy anti-cancer institute in Villejuif, believes that the therapeutic vaccine could be effective on other cancers.
That “really opens big doors and great hopes for all of our patients living with cancer”, estimated Tuesday, September 12 on franceinfo Fabrice Barlesi, general director of the Gustave Roussy institute and specialist in lung cancer while a therapeutic vaccine has proven its effectiveness in fighting this form of cancer. More than 44% of patients were still alive after taking this treatment offered by the French company Ose Immunotherapeutics, according to the results of a clinical trial published in the journal Annals of Oncology. This therapy could be effective on other cancers, notably skin and pancreatic cancers. “It’s a safe bet that we will have results in these diseases in the coming months and years”he said.
franceinfo: Are these very encouraging results good news for patients?
Fabrice Barlesi: We can already welcome the fact that today we have a new, innovative therapeutic solution, which comes from a French biotech in a trial led by major French leaders, in a center which is the first French and European center and the third center in the world. Patients need innovation. Patients need new solutions to be found and this is exactly what was done in the context of this trial where manipulation of the immune system is difficult. These are patients who have already resisted a first immunotherapy, and this trial gave really encouraging results in a particular subtype of patients.
Is there not a risk of runaway?
No, we just have to be aware that today we are talking about a proportion of patients with lung cancer, unfortunately, with advanced metastatic disease. From a portion of patients who have already received chemotherapy and immunotherapy and whose disease progresses, despite these treatments. In these patients, some responded temporarily to immunotherapy and it was in them that the best results were observed. Furthermore, a bit like when we do a transplant, we are obliged to look at the levels of compatibility between the donor and the recipient. It is necessary to identify a subgroup of patients who carry the right biological characteristics to respond to the vaccine, what is called HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen). Approximately 20% of patients have this anomaly, which makes it possible to consider the response to the vaccine.
Why are we talking about a vaccine?
The role of immunity in fighting cancer diseases is something that has been discussed and evaluated for several hundred years. The perception that the immune system will succeed in eradicating cancerous diseases was already in our minds. But the way to do this is obviously extremely complex. We will identify abnormalities in the disease that are specific to the disease and the vaccine will make it possible to generate cells of the immune system specifically directed against these anomalies and allow the patient’s own immune system to eradicate the cells related to the disease.
Has research against Covid-19 enabled this progress?
Clearly, since today messenger RNA type vaccines are popularized by the fight against Covid-19, but part of the research concerning messenger RNA was first carried out with the idea that these vaccines could be used in the fight against cancer pathologies. We have examples today, apart from lung cancer, in particular certain pancreatic cancers, where interesting results have already been reported. There are extremely encouraging results that have also been reported in melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Numerous trials are currently underway, both in France and internationally. And it’s a safe bet that we will see results in these diseases in the months and years to come.
Could this type of therapy be generalized?
It is even relatively probable. It will first be necessary to consolidate these results. Today, the number of trials and the number of situations in which this type of therapy has suggested effectiveness really opens great doors and great hopes for all of our patients living with cancer.
It is not a question of preventing the risks of lung cancer, it is just a treatment for the moment. That’s right ?
It’s a treatment exactly. It’s for patients who are already affected by the disease, unfortunately. But prevention is also a field that is currently being explored and it is possible that there will be significant progress in this area also in the future.