Cheryl Canagelo, a 52-year-old woman from Oakley, Calif., came to UCSF for a second opinion after undergoing radiation and chemotherapy elsewhere for treatment of a glioma. At UCSF she learned that part of the tumor was still present, and she enrolled in the vitespen vaccine trial.
Once the chemotherapy was out of her system, Parsa performed surgery, just four days before Christmas. He removed all but a very small amount of tumor that was near an area that could affect her speech. The removed tissue was sent to Antigenics, the Massachusetts biotech company that produces the vaccine from the patient's tumor tissue. Altogether, Canagelo has now received seven injections of vaccine.
"My most recent MRI showed that there is no tumor," Canagelo said. "I haven't had any side effects from the treatment, and I'm getting stronger every day. I would urge patients to seek out second opinions and investigate clinical trials. I can tell you I am so glad I did."
