Pittsburgh woman is 1st patient to receive new early-stage breast cancer vaccine WPXI [Video]

PITTSBURGH — In the race for a cure, a Pittsburgh woman is the first patient to receive a new vaccine for early-stage breast cancer.

It’s a decision that patient Maria Kitay said she made after watching loved ones get diagnosed before her.

“It is a personal decision and we really need to make sure more women survive breast cancer,” Kitay said.

The immunologist who invented the vaccine says it’s 30 years in the works and they have 49 spots open.

“We look forward to many more women signing up for this trial, this is a very innovative way to approach a breast cancer diagnosis, especially a pre-cancer diagnosis,” Dr. Olivera Finn said.

The vaccine is given in three doses, two weeks apart.

Anyone interested must be post-menopausal, stage zero, and willing to receive the vaccination a few weeks before surgery.

Surgical oncologist Dr. Emilia Diego will evaluate how well the …