Can Immune Systems Fight Breast Cancer

When it comes to immunotherapy, a tumor’s classification as hot or cold is essential. Hot refers to tumors showing signs of inflammation, meaning the immune cells have recognized and responded to the malignant cells, wrote Kim Polacek, APR, CPRC, on June 4, 2023.

These tumors respond well to immunotherapy because the immune system is already activated.

Cold tumors, on the other hand, contain immune suppressive cells and are more challenging to treat.

Breast cancer was once regarded as a cold tumor disease and therefore difficult to treat with immunotherapy, but that is changing thanks to research happening at Moffitt Cancer Center.

A new clinical trial led by Dr. Heather Han is evaluating a combination therapy utilizing two immunotherapies (dendritic cell vaccine and pepinemab), along with trastuzumab, followed by adoptive T cell therapy, for patients with metastatic HER2 positive breast cancer.

“The goal of this therapy is to activate the immune system and create a hot tumor environment so we can collect those immune cells to create a specific cellular immunotherapy to better target their cancer,” said Dr. Han, clinical research director in the Department of Breast Oncology at Moffitt.

Information about this phase 1 clinical trial is being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. The clinical trial is ongoing. Han says this combination therapy could provide a new option for HER2-positive breast cancer patients with metastatic disease.