Hope over new breast cancer vaccine

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The treatment would be tailored to women with HER2-positive cancers, which account for up to 30% of all cases and tend to be highly aggressive.

In mice, HER2-positive tumours were completely eliminated by the vaccine with no evidence of toxicity.

Even cancers resistant to drugs that specifically target this type of tumour, such as Herceptin, were eradicated.

The treatment seems so safe that scientists have suggested giving it to cancer-free women as a preventative measure.

Women who test HER2 positive are genetically programmed to have breast tumours that are unusually sensitive to a natural growth-stimulating protein.

Human epidermal growth factor helps breast cancer cells to multiply. It does this by binding on to HER2, a "receptor" molecule on the surface of the cells, which activates a signalling pathway triggering growth.

HER2-positive tumours have larger numbers of these receptors than normal, and are highly affected by the growth factor.

Herceptin, which is available to HER2 positive patients on the NHS, blocks the receptors so the growth factor cannot attach to them. However, many patients develop resistance to anti-HER2 drugs.

Dr Sarah Rawlings, from the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "This is very early research that has only been carried out in mice so we don't actually know if it could be used in women. Much more research is needed to find out if it works, to either treat HER2-positive breast cancer or prevent the disease, and if there are any side effects."