KING 5 Features Phase II Clinical Trial Targeting Ovarian Cancer Recurrence

“When the doctor told me there was a six percent survival rate, I thought, you know, I’m done for,” Kim Polk tells KING 5 News. “Here I am, 15 years later, and I’m healthy as a horse.”

When Polk received a stage three ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2009, she faced a frightening prognosis. Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecologic cancers and is often diagnosed at advanced stages, highlighting an urgent need for safe and long-lasting solutions. The Cancer Vaccine Institute (CVI) has been working to meet this need through research into experimental vaccines designed to treat ovarian cancer and prevent its recurrence.

In 2012, Polk participated in a Phase I clinical trial at the CVI evaluating an experimental cancer vaccine designed to target ovarian cancer and reduce the risk of its recurrence. She is now a part of the CVI’s Patient Advisory Council, which fosters a supportive community for clinical trial participants.

The CVI now has an open Phase II clinical trial similar to the one Polk participated in. The study is evaluating an experimental vaccine that targets IGFBP-2, a protein found at high levels in many ovarian cancer cells that plays a role in tumor growth and metastasis. The vaccine is designed to help the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. The Phase II study will evaluate whether the vaccine given after a single dose of carboplatin can activate an anti-cancer immune response to prevent ovarian cancer progression. The study is enrolling patients who are in remission but show early signs that their cancer may be returning, based on rising CA-125 blood test results, even though no cancer is visible on imaging scans. 

“The vaccine has already been through earlier trials, where results were quite promising for preventing disease recurrence. So this trial is formally asking that question,” says Dr. Nora Disis, CVI Director.

Now in remission, Polk encourages patients with cancer to consider participating in clinical trials. “You got nothing to lose. And so try whatever you can try to get through this because they have made so many strides in the medical field,” Polk says.

Read and watch the KING 5 HealthLink feature here. 

A clarification: the story indicates that the vaccine targets CA-125; however, the vaccine is directed against IGFBP-2, a protein that is abnormally expressed in many ovarian cancers. CA-125 is a tumor marker used to help detect and monitor possible recurrence.