LI breast cancer survivors hopeful about vaccine news

Breast cancer's toll on Joan McTague's family is extensive: a maternal aunt, a cousin, another cousin.

McTague, 67, a former nurse of Lynbrook, was herself diagnosed five years ago and is now in remission from a third bout of breast cancer. She looks at her four daughters, and even her son, and worries.

So McTague welcomed news Tuesday of a successful laboratory trial at the Cleveland Clinic that might someday lead to a vaccine for the cancer.

"I think it's wonderful," she said, adding her children would immediately sign up for any possible method to ward off developing the cancer. "I know as soon as it's available they'll take the antigens," she said.

After her diagnosis in 2005, McTague had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. When a lump was found in 2006, she had a double mastectomy followed by chemotherapy, but she found another lump last year.

McTague said she actually tried to sign up for the Cleveland Clinic study but was rejected because she didn't meet the study's stringent requirements.

Hope and worry

Ronice Bunn reacted to news of a possible vaccine with cautious optimism. "We don't know how it's going to pan out," said the retired social worker from Wyandanch. Still, she added, "Anything they find, I'm sure it's a plus for us."

Bunn, 61, was diagnosed four years ago and received chemotherapy and radiation. She also received targeted therapy for her particular type of cancer.

While Bunn was the first in her family to battle breast cancer, she too looks at her family and wonders if they'll have a healthy future. "I have a daughter, and she went for her first mammogram today," Bunn said. Thankfully the mammogram turned up nothing.

Bunn said she is living proof of why screenings and prevention are important. She had a clean bill of health until the tumor showed up during a routine mammogram. "It was a very aggressive type of cancer," she said. "If it weren't for the mammogram, I wouldn't be here today."

Unanswered questions

Susan Piccininni also had questions about the types of cancer the possible vaccine would combat. "They always say breast cancer is a bunch of different diseases," she said. "There are so many various different types of breast cancer that I don't know what kind this trial is targeting."

Piccininni, 53, a Deer Park resident who is a grant writer for the Bay Shore nonprofit Breast Cancer Help, has been in remission for seven years. "I was diagnosed in 2003 with Stage 3 breast cancer," she said. After a mastectomy, she had chemotherapy, radiation and targeted therapy treatments, followed by reconstructive surgery.

"It's nice to hear about something like this, but we have to wait and see," she said.