Being diagnosed with cancer can feel like a life sentence. It’s heartbreaking, depressing, and stressful. Just the idea of possibly not being able to live long enough for your family and loved ones can be devastating.
When Lee Mercker was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was stunned.
She thought she was healthy and that there’s nothing wrong with her. She exercises regularly and she eats right. Living a really healthy lifestyle, the idea of having that deadly disease seemed incomprehensible for her.
Determined to get better, she went to the Mayo Clinic to get started with the treatment. Her doctors gave her three options.
Lumpectomy was suggested. It’s a surgical procedure that removes cancer cells. Mastectomy or surgically removing her breast was also suggested.
Lee’s third option was to join a clinical trial.
This option was a bit unconventional because it involved a certain vaccine that’s supposed to help prevent cancer cells from returning. She was required to receive it a couple of times over a 3-month period or 12 weeks.
According to Dr. Saranya Chumsri:
“It’s supposed to stimulate a patient’s own immune response so that the immune cells like t-cells would go in and attack the cancer.”
After hearing the explanation, Lee signed right away.
She received the vaccine and her immune system started to eliminate the cancer cells. Even though the tumor shrink, she still underwent a double mastectomy. It was a decision she made just to be extra sure.
After about 7 months of receiving the bad news about her health, Lee is back to her healthy self.
Despite the encouraging results, it’s important to note that the vaccine is still in its early stages in terms of testing. It could take time before patients will be able to get it from their doctors or their local pharmacies.
According to Dr. Keith Knutson who served as Lee’s doctor, the unconventional treatment still has a long way to go, particularly when it comes to getting the FDA’s approval and recommendation.
He further explained:
“We know that they’re safe. We know that they stimulate the immune system [to fight cancer]. We know that they have had a positive impact on ovarian and breast cancer. We haven’t seen any adverse events that are causing problems other than irritation in the area similar to a flu vaccination. Now we have to convince the FDA, through solid, rigorous clinical trials that we’re seeing what we’re seeing.”
Despite its current status, knowing that there’s a vaccine that can potentially treat cancer still provides a sense of relief. With the disease taking more and more people’s lives, it’s good to know that one day, a vaccine may finally stop it completely.
Of course, this isn’t to say that you can just jump into a random clinical trial without seriously weighing all of your options. Before making any decision, it’s good to ask for your doctor’s opinion let him know all of your concerns. Make sure that you know all the pros and cons of a certain treatment before signing the dotted line.
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