A Shot In The Arm Against Early Stage Cervical Cancer

Main Category: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 19 Feb 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Getting an abnormal Pap Smear result from the gynecologist can be a scary thing. In the United States, approximately three-and-a-half million women have abnormal Pap smear tests each year. More than a third of these women develop cervical dysplasia, also known as Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN), a condition caused by the sexually transmitted Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Cervical dysplasia is classified as I, II, or III, depending on its severity.

Current treatments for CIN II and III can be extremely painful and even traumatic for women. Those who develop CIN may have to endure an operation known as Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure or LEEP. The procedure involves the application of a local anesthetic and excision of part of the cervix. This procedure can result in an "incompetent cervix" which makes it difficult for pregnant women to bear full-term pregnancies.

"According to international research, women remain at risk of developing cervical cancer since the virus that causes the cancer persists," says Dr. John Rothman, VP of Clinical Development of Advaxis, a New Jersey-based biotechnology company that is working on a less invasive approach for treatment of CIN II or III.

This Women's History Month, however, brings news of a vaccine that may have the ability to kill these precancerous cells. The Advaxis research team has developed a vaccine drug candidate, Lovaxin C, which is based on the live bacteria Listeria, a bacterium found in dairy products. Listeria generates an immune response known as "cellular" immunity, the type needed to attack cancer. By safely redirecting the bacteria against specific tumor types, Advaxis has created a new, and potentially very effective, class of cancer therapy.

Recently, the company reported that their vaccine was found to be safe in women with advanced metastatic cervical cancer. Of seven stable patients, three showed reductions in their tumor mass following treatment, and another patient had a significantly greater reduction in her tumor that, with further treatment, was completely eliminated.

"These initial results are very promising," says Dr. Rothman. "We look forward to advancing Lovaxin C through Phase II clinical trials targeting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia,"

http://www.advaxis.com

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