This spring, scientists at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences are hoping to put a vaccine aimed at preventing the recurrence of breast cancer to the test, by beginning clinical trials for the drug.

In case the trials prove that the vaccine is effective, the latter would not come to replace traditional treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation, serving only as additional treatment for patients recovering from breast cancer, Laura Hutchins, the principal investigator, professor of internal medicine and director of the division of hematology and oncology, revealed.

Director of basic breast cancer research at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Thomas Kieber-Emmons stated that the vaccine had been developed following a decade of investigations concerning the immune system, which focused on studying how different molecules worked together to fight off the condition.

The clinical trials are scheduled to be conducted in two phases, the first of which is set to spread over 4 to 6 months and to involve women with cancer that is actively spreading and women whose cancer has recurred after a period of remission. All of the participants will be given five doses of the vaccine.

The second phase, which will take approximately a year to complete, will look at women who are in remission after having had breast cancer, but who are also likely to develop the disease again. The women would need to have ended the chemotherapy treatment for at least six months in order to be eligible for the trials.