Jennifer Matthews: Larry Kimmerling feels pretty healthy.
Larry Kimmerling: Being physically fit and taking care of ourselves is an obligation to our families and to ourselves.
Jennifer Matthews: But last year, during a routine exam, Larry found out he has Prostate Cancer.
Larry Kimmerling: Oh My Gosh! How can this be? Not me -- I feel good, and I had no symptoms or anything like that.
Jennifer Matthews: To make matters worse, Larry was at high-risk for the cancer coming back after treatment. That's when he decided to take part in a new clinical trial.
Dr. Mayer Fishman: A general problem with cancers is if a person has cancer, the cancer has outwitted the immune system at that point.
Jennifer Matthews: Doctor Mayer Fishman's new research focuses on this vaccine. Before radiation, dendritic cells are taken from a patient's blood. After radiation, those cells are injected into the tumor where they go to work.
Dr. Mayer Fishman: The immune system just has to get rid of those last few cells, and the patient will be converted from once destined to reoccur to never reoccurring.
Jennifer Matthews: Dendritic cells help ensure those last few cells are killed by telling the fighter cells to finish the job. Blood tests show the cells are reacting in Larry, but it will take years of waiting to see if his cancer stays away.
Barb Kimmerling: He was a real trooper going through all the things he had to go through.
Jennifer Matthews: Larry's cancer is in remission, but the real celebration will come if the cancer doesn't come back. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.
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