Each shot would be completely personalized to the patient.

Wagner’s TLPO cancer vaccine has been tested in hundreds of patients with advanced forms of melanoma in Phase 2 clinical trials.

The most recent data presented at an academic conference showed nearly 95% of people given only the vaccine were still alive three years after starting treatment and 64% were still disease-free. Among the most advanced forms of melanoma, disease-free survival after three years for people with stage III disease was 60% in the vaccine-only group, compared to about 39% in the placebo group. Disease-free survival for those with stage IV disease was about 68% in the vaccine-only group, and zero in the placebo group.

The most common side effects were redness or pain at the injection site, fever and fatigue after the injection – similar to other vaccines that stimulate an immune response.

  • Szymon@lemmy.ca
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    10 months ago

    I know it’s for scientific purpose and all, and they signed off on it, but what a bum fucking deal to get a placebo in that stage 4 group.

    • TardisBeaker@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      A lot of times they don’t do placebo once the trial gets to that stage. My dad with cancer was a treatment guinea pig & one of the study stipulations was that they wouldn’t get placebo. Too cruel to get their hopes up. ETA: I know this one states it had placebo group. And I understand the reason for it, obviously. Just saying my dad’s experience was they promised no placebo group bc it was so late stage in testing.

    • lightnegative@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      It could’ve gone the other way with worse outcomes for the medicine group.

      In that case, you might want to be in the placebo group.

      Either way it’s a gamble

    • Tvkan@feddit.de
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      10 months ago

      In later trials, drugs aren’t compared against placebo, but a standard therapy regimen.