Prima BioMed’s therapy improves survival rates in ovarian cancer

(Reuters) – Prima BioMed Ltd said its experimental lead treatment improved survival in some ovarian cancer patients without the disease worsening. The mid-stage trial was testing the drug, CVac, in 63 patients who showed no signs or symptoms of the disease after one or two rounds of treatment. Patients, who experienced remission after two rounds of chemotherapy, showed a median survival of 12.91 months without the cancer worsening, compared to 4.94 months for those receiving only chemotherapy. CVac, like Dendreon Corp’s prostate cancer vaccine Provenge, is a form of immunotherapy that stimulates the patient’s immune system to target and destroy tumors.