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SearchThe first participant in the breast cancer vaccine trial shares how she is doing now and why she wanted to be involved with this innovative research.
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CLEVELAND – Jennifer Davis has been on quite the rollercoaster ride since being diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer back in 2018.
“The first thing that prompted me to go to the doctor is that I found a lump in my left breast,” Jennifer recalled.
The mother of three said from there, she continued with more testing before eventually coming to Cleveland Clinic.
“She went through very aggressive and typical chemotherapy,” said Megan Kruse, MD, breast medical oncologist for Cleveland Clinic.
By the time she was done with treatment, an opportunity came along to be part of the hospital’s breast cancer vaccine trial, which aims to prevent triple-negative breast cancer by prompting the immune system to attack the tumor and keep it from growing.
“There is a window of time after a patient’s diagnosis and treatment that they are eligible for this study, and thankfully Jen was still within that window and actually became our first patient who enrolled in the trial and got treated with the vaccine,” said Dr. Kruse.
Fast forward to now and Jennifer hasn’t had any serious complications. She also remains cancer-free.
“The day I got the first vaccine, I was very excited. I really didn’t think twice about it. And I’ve had people tell me, ‘Well, you weren’t too nervous?’ and honestly I wasn’t,” Jennifer said while smiling.
While Jennifer may not directly benefit from the vaccine. She takes pride in knowing it could help save lives in the future.
“Eventually one day down the road it could prevent triple negative breast cancer altogether,” said Jennifer. “To not have that anymore, I’m so hopeful.”
Jennifer will continue with clinical follow-ups to make sure there is no cancer reoccurrence.
However, Dr. Kruse said since she is nearing her five year mark, her future is looking bright.
Editor’s note: The vaccine was developed at Cleveland Clinic and licensed to Anixa Biosciences. Cleveland Clinic is entitled to royalties and other commercialization revenues from the company.
