I heard a radio interview with the doctor from the Cleveland Clinic who is
working on this very preliminary research to develop a vaccine against
breast cancer.  His work is with mice and, although he thinks he may have
found something useful, he has not yet been able to secure funding to
proceed any further.  His specialty is in autoimmune disorders and not
cancer.  He feels that he has brought a new approach to the whole idea of
fighting cancer because he is from a different specialty area then most who
are doing research.

The idea was to find something in the cancer tumor that was not present in
the body, so that treatment could be targeted to that "thing".  As an
autoimmune specialist, he was concerned about having the body fighting
against itself by targeting something that is always present.  Lactalbumin
is what they are looking at now.  It is present in cancer tumors and during
lactation, but not at other times.

The doctor said that since breast cancer risk rises after age 40, and since
*most* childbearing and breastfeeding occurs before age 40, lactalbumin is a
potential to focus on.  I did not get the impression that he was de-valuing
breastfeeding.
 After hearing the brief interview, I think that this is just another
potential weapon that may or may not be developed in the arsenal against
breast cancer.  It is an immunization that may be* offered* to women *who
want it* after they are finished with child bearing.

Barb Berges BS, RN, IBCLC
near Cleveland, Ohio

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