Brain Cancer Survivors Unite On The 125th Anniversary Of The First Brain Cancer Operation To Spread The Word About The New Vaccine Which Saved Their Lives

    CLEARWATER, FL, November 25, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Brain cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. One person is diagnosed with it every three minutes, and the median survival time from discovery to death is 14.6 months. On November 25, 1874, 125 years ago today, Rickman Godlee performed the first reported operation for glioma, one of the deadliest forms of cancer that starts in the brain or spine, at the Hospital for Epilepsy and Paralysis in Regent's Park, England.

"Many people remain unaware of the magnitude of this disease. Brain tumors are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer death in children under the age of 20, now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). They are the second leading cause of cancer death in male adults ages 20-29 and the fifth leading cause of cancer death in female adults ages 20-39," said Bob Gibbs, a brain cancer survivor who has defied the odds.

Many things have changed over the past 125 years with advances in technology, and that is certainly true for cancer treatments. Unfortunately though, over the past two decades, the survival rates for brain cancer have remained virtually unchanged. Some of the current chemotherapy agents have extended the median survival of Grade IV brain cancer by just two weeks. And until recently, that was the best technology could offer.

Bob Gibbs, 40, is a brain cancer survivor. Gibbs was initially diagnosed with a primary Grade II brain tumor in 2004. Over the past 5 1/2 years, he has undergone two brain surgeries and chemotherapy. During his last surgery in 2008, he was told that his tumor has become more aggressive and was now a Grade III.

Ironically, though his chances of survival decreased with his Grade III diagnosis, he qualified for DCVax -Brain, a brain tumor vaccine developed by Northwest Biothereputics (NWBT) (www.nwbio.com) of Baltimore, Maryland and neurosurgeon and Professor, Dr. Linda Liau at UCLA. Gibbs is just one of numerous patients in the clinical trials being conducted by Dr. Liau and NWBT who have received DCVax and have survived for years beyond what is achieved with standard of care today. Brain cancer patients in the Liau/NWBT trials are living up to six years and more post-diagnosis.

The DCVax treatment, an individualized vaccine, is created for the patient after surgical removal of the tumor, using biomarkers from the patient's own excised tumor tissue in combination with the patient's own immune cells ("dendritic cells") prepared in a special clean room pursuant to a formula developed over the last 15 years . Dendritic cells are the master immune cells responsible for starting and managing the body's overall immune response.

These living immune system cells, over a ten day period, are "trained" in a special clean room facility to naturally go after the specific cancer antigens (biomarkers) associated with the patient's own tumor. These "smarter" immune cells are then injected back into the patient from which they came, in the same manner as a flu shot. In 80% of the patients tested like Bob Gibbs, these wiser immune cells successfully kick start the patient's immune system to successfully combat the cancer.

Gibbs, frustrated with the lack of awareness of the vaccine, has united with other survivors who have also received the vaccine. Gibbs said, "In speaking to the others who have been fortunate enough to have found this clinical trial, we all share the same frustration. We are all living proof that the vaccine works, but we see too many doctors and patients that remain unaware that the vaccine exists, and of its impressive clinical trial track record.

"Patients' and Physicians' lack of awareness prevents many viable candidates from receiving the vaccine. Since the patient's own tumor is used to make the vaccine, it becomes too late for a patient if they have the tumor removed and fail to properly save it.

"For this reason, Miles for Hope (www.MilesForHope.org), has united with the other survivors who have received the DCVax vaccine, in order to make sure the broader public becomes aware of, and has access to, the very same DCVax technology that saved our lives. In addition to raising awareness and funding, we are making accommodations to give patients the ability to "bank" their tumor tissue. This process would be similar to the banking of cord blood. We hope this will give patients the ability to "store" their tumor tissue if they don't qualify for a vaccine clinical trial now. Without a patients tumor tissue, there is no way to create a patient-specific dendritic cell vaccine," stated Gibbs.

To date, the power and success of this vaccine remains unmatched by any other treatments in ongoing clinical trials. NWBT recently announced further long-term follow-up data for the period from January through September 2009, from its prior Phase I and Phase I/II clinical trials conducted at UCLA with DCVax -Brain in patients with Glioblastoma multiforme, the most rapid and lethal type of brain cancer. During the update period, only one of the twenty patients treated with both the standard of care and DCVax -Brain died, and that patient had survived for nearly 7 years (80.5 months).

Overall, 85% of the patients treated with DCVax -Brain in the Company's clinical trials have lived longer than the 14.6 months median survival time which is achieved with standard of care treatment today (surgery, radiation and chemotherapy). Furthermore, 22% of the patients treated with DCVax -Brain have now reached or exceeded the 6-year survival mark. Under the standard of care treatment, less than 5% of GBM patients are still alive after 5 years. The median survival time of the patients treated with DCVax -Brain is 36.4 months.

In addition to showing such extended survival times, clinical trial patients treated with DCVax -Brain also have shown striking delays in disease progression (recurrence) of their cancer. Typically, in spite of surgical removal of the initial tumor, as well as radiation and chemotherapy, GBM brain tumors under the standard of care recur in just 6.9 months. In contrast, among the patients treated with DCVax -Brain in NWBT's clinical trials so far, 74% of the patients have been free of recurrence for at least 1 year, 45% recurrence-free for 2 years, 33% recurrence-free for 3 years, 28% free for 4 years and 22% free for 5 years.

In addition to a vaccine for brain cancer, NWBT recently received FDA clearance to begin Phase I clinical trials for lung, breast and several other cancers, and have already achieved similar results in US prostate and ovarian cancer clinical trials.

"I anticipate that we will continue to see amazing results from this vaccine. I, and the other survivors who have received this vaccine, are blessed to have been part of these trials and this cutting edge research that will ultimately lead to many lives being saved and the quality of life being improved for others battling brain cancer," said Gibbs.

"We are determined to keep spreading the word about this key breakthrough so many more lives can be saved. And there is no better time to start than today on the 125th Anniversary of the earlier breakthrough that has set us down the path we see before us today. We welcome your questions and comments and ask you to help us spread the word," concluded Gibbs.

About Miles for Hope

Miles for Hope was established by Bob & Barb Gibbs to raise funds for promising brain tumor clinical trials and research. We are dedicated to raising funds to improve current treatments for brain tumors, and to assist brain tumor patients with travel expenses for their treatment.

Our goal at Miles for Hope is to provide a complete source for cutting edge treatment and support for both the patient and care givers. There are many wonderful sources of information on the internet for brain tumors, and our goal is to compile these resources at one location. Here you will find a large support forum full of information, the most current clinical trial information, breaking news regarding brain tumors, and other support and awareness tools for your use in combating and fighting brain tumors.

Website: http://www.milesforhope.org

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