BEND, Ore. -- It's the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women. "Lung cancer is universally one of the worst cancers to have," Dr. Bill Schmidt of Bend Memorial Clinic Oncology said Wednesday.

Schmidt says the disease has a 30 to 50 percent rate of coming back, even after it's treated or removed the first time around.

"Despite surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, all these modalities we use to try and cure cancer. Our cure rate is still not good," said Schmidt.

A team of researchers and doctors at BMC is in the middle of a lung cancer study in an effort to try and prevent the disease from returning.

"With the novel approach of using a vaccine therapy, it's another bullet in our arsenal to hopefully improve upon this survival curve. We've got to do a lot better job than we're doing today," said Schmidt.

BMC is the only facility in the state taking part in this phase-three clinical trial, and though the vaccine is not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Schmidt said it's getting there.

"They come in every three weeks for an injection, and they have a two-to-one chance of getting the real thing or the placebo," said Christine Reed, a BMC clinical research coordinator.

Reed said the vaccine isn't for everyone with lung cancer; it depends on certain criteria. Once it is given to a patient, it's intended to cause the body's immune system to attack cancer cells that may be lingering after chemotherapy or surgery.

"Then I contact them every year for the next 10 years, and hopefully they are alive and well and their lung cancer has never returned,"said Reed.

BMC is involved in more than a dozen studies, but Schmidt said this one is unique. He said it has the potential to improve the way Bend Memorial Clinic and others around the world battle cancer.

"Not only for the patient, but for their loved ones, family, friends, relatives and the generations to come. That's the goal of clinical trials, period," said Schmidt.

The trial is also under way at 400 other centers in 33 countries. The biggest challenge BMC has had to face is finding people to participate.

If you have had lung cancer or are about to get it removed and would like more information about the study, call the clinical research department at 877-692-8338.