Dr. Jon Lapook tells us how an experimental treatment helped extend the life of a patient.
68-year-old Sandy Hillburn feels fortunate to have lifelong friends and six grandsons.
They are such good little boys.
She was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a vicious brain cancer with average survival of about one to two years.
That was nine years ago.
I was actually told that I would have two or three months to live.
In 2006, Hillburn began an experimental cancer vaccine therapy at Duke university.
To prepare the vaccine, a patient's white blood cells are extracted and exposed to protein from a virus called C.M.V.
C.M. V. is found in glioblastoma cells but not in healthy brain tissue.
Like a bloodhound given a scent, the body's immune cells use the C.M.V. protein to find and then destroy the cancer cells.
Dr. John Sampson is professor of surgery at Duke.
Because our immune systems are particularly adept at attacking viruses, we felt it would be a great opportunity for us to attack the tumor by attacking the virus.
In early studies the vaccine did not work well, so a tetanus shot was added before treatment to prime the immune system.
Tetanus produces a certain chemical which is a superactivator for the vaccine.
Six patients received C.M.V vaccine alone and survived an average of 18.5 months.
Six others got a tetanus shot first, three survived for an average of 22 months.
Two lived for about five and six years, and one, Hillburn, is still healthy at nine.
You had one grandson before you got sick.
Yes. Did you ever imagine you would be able to be around to see five more grandchildren?
This sounds so obnoxious, but yes.
In fact, I think I'm good for at least another ten years.
Scott, the reason we're covering such a small trial is that glioblastoma is such a brutal cancer with very limited options.
This does provide a glimmer of hope, but it does have to be replicated in other institutions.
If it is, it could be a useful therapy.
Well, here's a question for you, why doesn't the immune system attack cancer naturally?
Well, cancers of all kinds and especially brain cancers are insidious and they're able to hide themselves from your immune system.
It's almost like they put a cloaking device on them.
What this does is strips them of the cloaking device, allows the immune system to track it down and kill it.
Fascinating. Jon, thanks very much.