AE37 Vaccine Trial - for recently treated high-risk patients

In theory you are right! But in real life, apparently chemo, rads and hormonal therapy are not very successful at killing cancer stem cells, therefore some can survive and at some point "wake up". (I'm hoping Metformin will work to disable or at least weaken those). In addition, it has been proven that with time we become resistant to hormonal therapy, therefore people get recurrences.

So any "back up" treatment or vaccine that add some control over cancer has a huge significance.

I start this trial on Jan. 7.  Found out I am in the HLA positive group.  So I know if I were given a choice, I would have chosen to be HER2 negative and ER/PR positive if I had to have BC. Is it better to be HLA positive or negative?  Not that one can do anything about it, but just wondering if there is any significance.

Interesting. Thanks for the info. My onc asked me if they did echos every three months. I told him I didn't think so. I think he thought they were afraid of the same kind of heart damage herceptin can cause. My EF went down 20 points on herceptin and I got put on a beta blocker and ace inhibitor, but the research leader knows about it and said it wasn't a problem.

NeuVax Phase III Clinicals were given the FDA green light in Jan, 2012. Studies are well underway throughout the US and numerous other countries. I would call Galena Biopharma to inquire about eligibility but as i know it: Node pos; HER2 pos either 1+ or 2+ ER/PR either neg or pos. One injection per month for six months followed by a "booster" shot once every 6 months. Phase I and II clinicals demonstrated statistically significant results in helping to reduce recurrence rates. I apologize for my blatent "facts," but during my wife's battle with HER2 we stopped at nothing in our efforts to identify any promising leads. Wishing you only the best, dan.

Fredntan, how is that 13 positive nodes disqualified you from participating in vaccine?

I thought that trial was opened to stages up to IIIc, as long as HER 2 is more then "0".

I'm sure, I've read several posts, here, on BCO, from girls with significant number of nodes (+), participating in the vaccine trial.



I'm confused....

I had neoadjuvant chemo, so don't know exactly how many nodes, but "multiple" nodes were involved, one being 2 cms.  I think Special K is correct.  Not sure what site might be convenient for you, but if you click on the link in the original post, it will give you the sites doing the trial and contact info.  If you're still withing six months since treatment ended, give them a call.  Good luck.

You, guys are so well informed with all those trials!



Tectonic, I'm still waiting. Before Xmas I got an email with an update. So, they've collected all the slides, images... from my main surgeries from end of June, but they were still waiting for slides from my initial lumpectomy done at local hospital. It looks like local hospital and dr (who screwed me totally) are not co-operating....

I guess they want to have everything from every dr and hospital that treated me, before providing a final report.



If I'm confirmed HER2 "0", then I'm happy because I will know that AE37 vaccine would not make any difference.

Tectonic, you are also taking Metformin, right? How are you taking it? What were initial SE?

I'm currently doing rads and 2 weeks ago started tamoxifen. My onc is fine with me adding Metformin, I just don't know if I should start it now or wait a bit longer. It's "off label", 850mg starting dose. Is it better to take it in the morning with Tamox or at different time?

Hey tectonic, are there any other trials you think might be beneficial? I too will be starting metformin off label in a few days. I would think you would want to check your blood sugars from time to time. If you call the company that makes the strips they will send you free meter. There will also be coupon in endof jan paper for free one touch meters. You might also want to review low blood sugar symptoms-dizzyness, confusion, tiredness. Andcarry fast acting sugar for lowes until you get used to it.

So now that I have started this, I am really curious about it.  I had the skin test yesterday, with a control injection three inches below that.  When it was first injected, it immediately got red and puffed up (the control didn't though), but within a minute, it was normal, and you could just see the injection spot.  Is that how it would usually be?  Are they hoping when they do it again at the end of the trial that there will be a reaction from the vaccine (if you're getting that and not the placebo)?

Also, I'm really curious about the better results with the low Her2 than the women who took Herceptin.  I have a theory that it's the law of diminishing returns.  If you've already had Herceptin, then you can only treat that part of the cancer so much and keep getting benefits vs. someone who hasn't used any treatment targeted against HER2.  Just a thought.  Another thought was that the selection criteria allowed anyone to take part who was considered Her2 positive, but otherwise I think you had to have nodal involvement.  Perhaps the low Her2 women were in general a higher stage of diagnosis and maybe that has something to do with it.  It doesn't seem like that should make a difference to me though since they are speaking relatively. 

Thanks again Tectonic for starting this thread and letting all of us know about the trial.  Whether I end up with the placebo or not, I am glad to be part of it.  I hope they end up with great results and it becomes the standard of care.

Do any of youll think your having any side effects? I have had this slight shortness of breath since last week. Seemed to have started few days after my fourth injection. Its just ever so slight. It doesnt affect metoo much. I did 40 minonbouncy eliptical and yoga class today. Its probably a result of my pushing myself too hard.



Lately I go to gym almost every day, turned vegan. I still have the slight bruising on legsfrominjection

If I read her-2 zero somewhere would it b likely I would read differently from another pathologist? I always wonder if maybe I am one or two not zero bc I read so much it varies from test to test and pathologist to pathologist.