Health
Breast cancer vaccine update from Cleveland Clinic: ‘A new era’
A breast cancer vaccine could be closer to reality, according to Cleveland Clinic, as its researchers have announced some encouraging results.
At the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer earlier this month in Texas, researchers shared updated findings from a study of a new vaccine designed to target triple-negative breast cancer, a press release stated.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive type of breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
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TNBC grows and spreads faster than less aggressive types and is more difficult to treat.
G. Thomas Budd, M.D., lead study researcher, is pictured in the Cleveland Clinic lab. “The investigational vaccine represents a potential new way to combat breast cancer,” he said. (Courtesy of Cleveland Clinic)
The breast cancer vaccine that Cleveland Clinic is studying is the first that aims to prevent triple-negative breast cancer from developing, according to G. Thomas Budd, M.D., principal investigator of the phase 1 study at Cleveland Clinic’s Cancer Institute.
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The vaccine uses a protein found in breast tissue that is dedicated to lactation — called α-lactalbumin — which is no longer created after a woman is past childbearing age, Budd told Fox News Digital.
“Employing a retired lactation protein as a breast cancer vaccine autoantigen made sense because most breast cancers occur in women ages 40 and older, and the vast majority of those women no longer breastfeed,” he said.
A researcher conducts a breast cancer vaccine-related experiment in a lab at Cleveland Clinic. The vaccine uses a protein found in breast tissue that is dedicated to lactation, called α-lactalbumin. (Courtesy of Cleveland Clinic)
This protein was selected because it is no longer found in detectable amounts in normal, aging breast tissues, but is expressed at high levels in more than 70% of triple-negative breast cancers, Budd shared.
“The investigational vaccine represents a potential new way to combat breast cancer,” he said.
“It represents a paradigm shift in how we approach cancer care — focusing on prevention rather than treatment after the fact.”
In the Phase 1 trial, the researchers found that the investigational vaccine was “generally well-tolerated and produced an immune response in most patients,” according to a Cleveland Clinic press release.
The team also presented the vaccine’s side effects, highest tolerated dose and immunologic effects, the release stated.
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The Phase 1 trial, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, was conducted at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus in partnership with Anixa Biosciences, Inc., a California-based biotechnology company focused on treating and preventing cancer.
It included 26 patients in three separate groups.
A pharmacy research technican demonstrates a mock preparation of the new breast cancer vaccine. (Courtesy of Cleveland Clinic)
These findings come after nearly two decades of research by the late Vincent Tuohy, PhD, of Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Budd noted.
Next year, Anixa plans to launch a Phase 2 study to gauge the vaccine’s effectiveness.
“Our hope is that future studies will demonstrate that the antigen-specific T cell responses we observed translate to the prevention of triple-negative breast cancer recurrence,” Budd said.
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Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier called the development of breast cancer vaccines “groundbreaking and exciting.”
“It represents a paradigm shift in how we approach cancer care — focusing on prevention rather than treatment after the fact,” Saphier, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
A vial of the breast cancer vaccine is pictured in the lab. “The entire cancer community eagerly awaits further advancements in this area, as it could usher in a new era of cancer prevention strategies,” a doctor said. (Courtesy of Cleveland Clinic)
“If successful, such vaccines could significantly reduce the incidence of breast cancer, saving countless lives and reducing the emotional, physical and financial burdens associated with cancer treatment.”
Breast cancer vaccine development is particularly important for high-risk individuals, the doctor noted — “but also presents a potential for broader public health benefits, helping to ease the societal and economic impact of cancer.”
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Added Saphier, “The entire cancer community eagerly awaits further advancements in this area, as it could usher in a new era of cancer prevention strategies.”
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As colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50, a new report reveals some surprising shifts in the incidence of the disease.
Although rates of CRC have been declining among seniors, those 65 and under are facing a rise in diagnoses, according to a report titled Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026, from the American Cancer Society.
Adults 65 and younger comprise nearly half (45%) of all new colorectal cancer cases — a significant increase from 27% in 1995, states the report, which was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The disease is rising fastest among adults 20 to 49 years old, at a rate of 3% per year.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50. (iStock)
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. Although that age group is eligible to receive routine screenings, just 37% do so.
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The report also revealed that rectal cancer is on the rise, now accounting for about one-third (32%) of all CRC cases — an increase from 27% in the mid-2000s.
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“After decades of progress, the risk of dying from colorectal cancer is climbing in younger generations of men and women, confirming a real uptick in disease because of something we’re doing or some other exposure,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report, in a press release.
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. (iStock)
“We need to redouble research efforts to understand the cause, but also circumvent deaths through earlier detection by educating clinicians and the general public about symptoms and increasing screening in people 45-54 years.”
It is projected that 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, and that the disease will cause 55,230 deaths, per the report.
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More than half of CRC cases can be linked to high-risk behaviors, the researchers said. Those include lack of nutrition, high alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity.
“These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45,” said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society.
When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%. (iStock)
“The report also shines a light on the crucial importance of continued funding for research to help discover new therapies to treat the disease and advance patient care.”
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When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%, the report stated.
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A new study suggests that middle-aged men may be more vulnerable to faster biological aging, potentially linked to exposure to “forever chemicals.”
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging, examined how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, could impact aging at the cellular level.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals commonly used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, water-resistant fabrics and other consumer products, the study noted.
Their chemical structure makes them highly resistant to breaking down, allowing them to accumulate in water, soil and the human body.
Chinese researchers analyzed blood samples from 326 adults enrolled in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2000.
A new study suggests that middle-aged men could face accelerated biological aging at the cellular level due to exposure to PFAS. (iStock)
The researchers measured levels of 11 PFAS compounds in participants’ blood and used DNA-based “epigenetic clocks” — tools that analyze chemical changes to DNA to estimate biological age — to determine how quickly their bodies were aging at the cellular level, the study stated.
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Two compounds, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), were detected in 95% of participants.
Higher concentrations of those chemicals were associated with faster biological aging in men of certain age groups, but not in women.
“People should not panic.”
The compounds most strongly linked to accelerated aging were not the PFAS chemicals that typically receive the most public attention, the researchers noted.
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“The associations were strongest in adults aged 50 to 64, particularly in men,” Dr. Xiangwei Li, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, told Fox News Digital.
“While this does not establish that PFAS cause aging, it suggests that these widely present ‘forever chemicals’ may be linked to molecular changes related to long-term health and aging.”
The study found that two of the compounds were detected in 95% of participants, and higher levels were linked to faster biological aging in men ages 50–64. (iStock)
Midlife may represent a more sensitive biological period, when the body becomes more vulnerable to age-related stressors, according to the researchers.
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, may influence biological aging markers, potentially increasing vulnerability to environmental pollutants.
While Li said “people should not panic,” she does recommend looking for reasonable ways to reduce exposure.
That might mean checking local drinking water reports, using certified water filters designed to reduce PFAS, and limiting the use of stain- or grease-resistant products when alternatives are available.
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Meaningful reductions in PFAS exposure will likely depend on broader regulatory action and environmental cleanup efforts, Li added.
The researchers noted that midlife could be a particularly sensitive stage, when the body is more susceptible to stressors associated with aging. (iStock)
Study limitations
The researchers outlined several important limitations of the research, including that the findings show an association, but do not prove that PFAS directly causes accelerated aging.
“The study is cross-sectional, meaning exposure and aging markers were measured at the same time, so we cannot determine causality,” Li told Fox News Digital.
The study was also relatively small, limited to 326 adults age 50 or older, which means the findings may not apply to younger people or broader populations.
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Researchers measured PFAS levels using data collected between 1999 and 2000, and today’s exposure patterns may differ.
Li added that while PFAS is known to persist in the environment and the body, these results should be validated through larger, more recent studies that follow participants over time.
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