A NEW Forest woman is to be injected with a trial cancer vaccine in an attempt to save her twin sister's life.

Mum-of-two Josephine Hazell, a nursing home owner from Cadnam, will have the treatment as doctors hope it will encourage her body to produce cancer-killing cells.

The cells will then be transplanted to her beloved sibling Cathryn Nosrati, who suffers from lymph node cancer. They could help kick start Cathryn's immune system.

Because the 44-year-old twins have the same DNA, there is only a remote chance the cells could be rejected.

This world-first operation could take place within two weeks. Trial director Professor Terry Hamblin, from the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, has applied to the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee for permission to give the cancer vaccine to Josephine.

Mrs Nosrati, from Verwood, Dorset was diagnosed with cancer in 1997 and two years later became the first person to receive the new genetic vaccine developed at Southampton University.

It was designed to help prevent cancer returning to patients in remission. Scientists have tested the vaccine on 20 patients, who have received varying dosages. But Cathryn received the lowest dose of the drug and her cancer returned.

Because of chemotherapy, her immune system is too frail to handle another dosage.

But being an identical twin, doctors have turned to plan B.

Once Josephine has been injected with the vaccine they will wait for her immune system to react, developing special cancer killing cells.

They will isolate and extract stem cells from her immune system and inject them into Cathryn.

The stem cells could develop into millions of cancer-busting cells.

Mrs Hazell said: "I do not see I have got anything to lose and Cathryn has got everything to gain.

"Because we are twins we have always been close. Cathryn having cancer changed my whole perspective on life. It has made me rethink my own mortality.

"I don't know how I would cope without her. It would be like a part of me dying."

Cathryn said: "I was very disappointed when the vaccine didn't work because I had been feeling so well. I'm looking forward to the next stage. I can't switch off. I think cancer all the time. Every day I wake up and wonder how much long I'll stay in remission."

The vaccine combines genetic material from a cancer cell with a harmless part of tetanus toxin. The presence of the tetanus triggers the immune system into targeting killer cancer-cells.

Professor Hamblin said: "The problem with vaccinating patients is that the disease itself suppresses immunity, so we are starting with one hand tied behind our backs. The way we have thought of getting around that is vaccinating somebody else who isn't immune deficient and transferring immunity to the patient. Because donors haven't had lymphoma or chemotherapy, they are more likely to produce an immune response."