From Nightly News intern to Today Show correspondent, Kristen Dahlgren’s career took an unexpected turn after her breast cancer diagnosis. Inspired by Dr. Nora Disis and the potential of breast cancer vaccines, Dahlgren embarked on a journey to advocate for their development.
Dr. Disis, of UW Medicine’s Cancer Vaccine Institute, posed a pivotal question: could a vaccine eradicate breast cancer deaths? This resonated with Dahlgren, leading her to explore the groundbreaking research of leading oncologists and cancer researchers.
In 2013, Dr. Disis’ team achieved promising results in a trial with 66 women with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer. While not the primary objective, 80% of participants receiving the optimal vaccine dose survived past 10 years, exceeding typical prognoses.
Dahlgren visited the Cancer Vaccine Institute, meeting Dr. Disis and trial participant Brigette Hempstead. Initially given a year to live, Hempstead credits the vaccine with activating an immune response against recurring cancer cells.
Dr. Disis believes understanding immune response triggers and identifying breast cancer targets is key to developing eradicative vaccines. Her team’s STEMVAC, targeting cancer stem cells resistant to conventional treatments, is currently in phase 2 trials.
Other institutions are making strides. The Cleveland Clinic and Anixa Biosciences reported positive phase 1 trial data for a vaccine targeting aggressive triple-negative breast cancer. Most participants showed desired T-cell responses without significant side effects.
Trial participant and nurse Jenni Davis shared her positive experience on Today. The vaccine, she believes, has trained her body to eliminate cancerous cells before tumor formation.
Inspired by these advancements, Dahlgren and fellow survivor Michele Young founded the Pink Eraser Project. This non-profit fosters collaboration among leading researchers to expedite the development and availability of breast cancer vaccines, highlighting the transformative power of collaborative efforts in the fight against breast cancer.