Testing is underway on vaccines to intercept brewing colon cancer before it takes root
Dr. Stacy Norton was only 7 years old when her mother died of colon cancer, one of several family members struck by aggressive tumors at unusually young ages. Decades later, Norton rolled up her sleeve to help test if a new kind of vaccine might protect her and her own children from cancer.
Testing is underway on vaccines to intercept brewing colon cancer before it takes root. Dr. Stacy Norton, now 59, was only 7 when her mother died of colon cancer, a disease that also struck several other family members at young ages. Norton herself carries a faulty Lynch syndrome gene that puts her at high risk of colorectal cancer and other cancers.
Now among an estimated 1 million Americans with Lynch syndrome, she is testing a promising new vaccine that aims to teach the immune system to intercept Lynch-caused precancerous growths before they become full-fledged tumors. Early trials showed the vaccine boosted tumor-eliminating T cells and reduced precancerous growths in Lynch carriers.
If successful, it could potentially eliminate the need for yearly colonoscopies for many at high risk.
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