PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- Pancreatic cancer is the 10th deadliest form of cancer in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Fewer than 13% of those battling pancreatic cancer live for more than five years after their diagnosis. That's likely because roughly 90% of diagnoses are made after the disease has already progressed to an advanced stage.
But hope is now on the horizon as an experimental mRNA vaccine being developed at Brown University Health is showing promise for treating and preventing the disease.
Dr. Alexander Raufi, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Brown University Health, told 12 News an ongoing vaccine trial is already yielding positive results.
Raufi explained that the vaccine is currently being tested on pancreatic cancer patients who have had their tumors surgically removed. The goal of the vaccine, he said, is to prevent the disease from coming back.
"It's hard to teach the immune system to detect and fight cancer cells," Raufi said. "But mRNA vaccines are one way to train [immune systems] to detect, fight and kill cancer cells."
Raufi described the vaccine as a form of personalized treatment for pancreatic cancer patients.
"What really advanced was the ability to predict the proteins being targeted by this mRNA vaccine -- being able to determine what is self and not self," Raufi explained. "We don't want the vaccine to cause the immune system to attack itself."
"This is a vaccine that's purpose is to activate [your immune system] to detect your cancer cells," he continued.
Raufi said the vaccine is already showing signs of efficacy and longevity in those who received it through the clinical trial a couple of years ago.
"[Trial participants] continue to have the T-cells in their blood and in their body that are able to fight those cancer cells should they come back," he said.
In Rhode Island, Raufi said there are about 20 pancreatic cancer patients enrolled in the clinical trial.
"We're moving along pretty quickly in this trial," Raufi said. "We should see some real, hopefully positive, results within the next year or two."