HPV vaccine–chemotherapy combination may improve cervical cancer survival

Recently published results from researchers based in the Netherlands suggest that combining therapeutic cancer vaccination with platinum-based chemotherapy regimens may help to boost survival outcomes. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, examines the combination of HPV vaccination (ISA101) with two standard chemotherapy drugs in a Phase I/II trial involving 77 patients. Although patients experienced chemotherapy-related side effects, the vaccine was well tolerated and demonstrated significant improvements in tumor regression.Ultimately, the vaccination–chemotherapy combination produced tumor regression in 43% of patients, with another 43% showing stable disease. Further to this, those who demonstrated stronger responses to the HPV vaccine also demonstrated...