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Jacksonville doctors want your help with a cancer vaccine trial

Doctors at Mayo Clinic are working on a vaccine that aims to prevent breast cancer from recurring in survivors.

Dr. Saranya Chumsri, an oncologist at Mayo Clinic, said trials will soon begin on vaccines targeting two types of breast cancer with aggressive recurrence rates.

“Even despite getting chemotherapy and surgery and radiation, still significant number of patients have recurrence later on,” Chumsri said.

She said the vaccines are used on top of standard care therapy.

“We want to immunize the patient to help stimulate their immune system to help fight against cancer,” Chumsri said.

Mayo is looking for survivors – in Jacksonville and around the nation -- to participate in the trials.

“Each single patient can help us get more data to see if the vaccines actually really work,” Chumsri said. “Each patient can contribute a lot to our knowledge in the cancer vaccine.”

Chumsri said the ultimate goal is to develop a vaccine that can prevent breast cancer altogether.

“This is the reason why we try to develop the vaccine, so that perhaps in the future, we can help prevent breast cancer entirely so no one has to suffer from this disease,” she said.

If you or someone you know is a breast cancer survivor who would like to participate in the trials, call 904-953-0707 for the Breast Center in Jacksonville.

Survivors outside Jacksonville can call 855-776-0015.​