Experimental vaccine shows promise for ovarian cancer

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vaccineA novel but preliminary new treatment for ovarian cancer has apparently produced complete remission for one patient with an advanced form of the disease, researchers are reporting.

The promising results of a phase 1 clinical trial for the immunotherapy approach also showed that seven other women had no measurable disease at the end of the trial, the researchers added.

Their results are scheduled to be presented Saturday at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Ovarian cancer is fairly rare -- an estimated 1.38 percent of females born today will be diagnosed with the condition -- but it's an especially deadly form of cancer because it is usually diagnosed in an advanced stage.

The new treatment uses a personalized vaccine to try to teach the body's immune system how to fight off tumors.

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