Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is the fifth most common form of cancer. It's responsible for nearly 24,000 deaths each year in the U.S. There is a unique vaccine - available through University of Iowa Health Care - that could help lower those numbers:

Imagine using the cells of a cancerous tumor to fight the disease itself. A new cancer vaccine being clinically tested at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics does just that:

The number of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases has risen dramatically in the past 20 years. Standard treatments such as chemotherapy can reduce the cancer, but remissions rarely last. Researchers have developed a new vaccine, called gtop-99, that could bring new hope to patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma:

"What this trial seeks to do is to take patients with follicular lymphoma and treat them with chemotherapy, but in the process come back and help their immune system recognize their own lymphoma," says James Wooldridge, M.D.

The vaccine is designed to target the cancer's idiotype, which similar to a fingerprint is unique to every lymphoma patient. Once injected, the vaccine is intended to direct the patient's own immune system to treat the tumor as a foreign invader and attack the cancer cells. Researchers with the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center say this kind of research is key to the future of cancer treatment in Iowa:

"An equally important part of our mission is to do research into diseases and into new therapies to try to find ways to enhance the care we provide, not only here, but out in the community," says Wooldridge.

Researchers hope to enroll 20 to 25 patients. A total of 480 will enroll in the entire study, which takes place at 30 selected medical centers.

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Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center