Lung cancer: initial results from an experimental vaccine show survival rates have almost doubled
Oncologist Cappuzzo: “The drug is a genuine molecular trainer that teaches the immune system how to recognise and destroy cancer cells without increasing toxicity”
Key points
Traditional treatments sometimes fail to halt the progression of advanced-stage lung cancer, and the priority is therefore to identify innovative strategies capable of improving survival without increasing side effects. This is the aim of peptide vaccines – also known as therapeutic vaccines – which seek to boost the immune response whilst the disease is already present. One such new-generation peptide vaccine, currently undergoing trials, is demonstrating unprecedented efficacy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer receiving second-line treatment. The data show a doubling of one-year survival, reaching 47 per cent when combined with docetaxel-based chemotherapy and 46 per cent when combined with immunotherapy (nivolumab), compared with just 29 per cent achieved with traditional docetaxel-only therapy.
Data from the Phase 2 Combi-TED trial on the Tedopi (OSE2101) vaccine, sponsored by the Fondazione Ricerca Traslazionale (FoRT), will be presented on 25 October by Federico Cappuzzo, Director of Medical Oncology 2 at the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute in Rome, President of the FoRT Foundation and lead author of the study, as part of the congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). The research involved international collaboration between 17 centres of excellence in oncology across Italia, France and Spain, confirming the leading role of the Italian research network in the testing of therapeutic vaccines.
Over 40,000 diagnoses a year
These results mark a fundamental turning point for a disease which, in Italia alone, accounts for around 40,000 new diagnoses each year, confirming its status as one of the leading causes of cancer and the number one cause of cancer-related deaths in our country. In particular, the ‘non-small cell’ (NSCLC) form accounts for around 85 per cent of all lung cancer cases. Against this backdrop, treatment options for advanced disease remain extremely limited, with traditional chemotherapy still the standard of care despite its modest efficacy and marked toxicity.
“Unlike traditional protein-based or preventative vaccines, the peptide vaccine consists of a synthetic combination of 10 short amino acid fragments (peptides) selected from tumour antigens,” explains Cappuzzo. The drug acts as a veritable molecular trainer for the immune system: in HLA-A2-positive patients (human leukocyte antigen), it presents these 10 ‘identikit’ profiles to the T-lymphocytes – the body’s defence cells – teaching them to recognise and destroy tumour cells with surgical precision and without any increase in toxicity compared with standard treatments.”
The limitations of current treatments
The study stems from the clinical need to overcome the limitations of current second-line treatments, which often yield modest results. “The only drug commonly used in clinical practice at this stage is docetaxel, a toxic molecule with limited efficacy,” emphasises Cappuzzo. “In a previous study, the peptide vaccine has already been shown to be potentially superior to docetaxel, and its definitive validation is currently underway in the phase 3 ARTEMIA trial.”
