Are we heading towards creating a “cancer vaccine”? A therapeutic vaccine against some forms of lung cancer is showing promising results, reducing the risk of death by 40%, according to a study published this Monday. But what do we really mean by this expression?
Early on, Dr. Alexandra Leary talked about a “neoepitope injection” before realizing that her patients were less, if not worse, understanding that it was actually a vaccination to help them if their ovarian tumors recurred. It must be said that connecting the words “vaccine” and “cancer” is far from easy: the combination is the result of research that has accelerated in just a few years.
On the one hand, rebellious; on the other hand, those who imagine an injection that would simply and simply prevent the disease from occurring. “Training is necessary,” confirms Professor Claude-Agnès Reynaud, president of the scientific council of the League Against Cancer. This is not a universal vaccine that could be administered prophylactically to the entire population to protect against cancer, but rather protection against it. »
Precision medicine
In short, it is a therapeutic vaccine that is given to people who are already sick and – at this point – often at an advanced stage of the disease, when several other treatments have failed. The only proven preventive injection at the moment is vaccination against HPV (or papillomavirus).
So it is therapeutic, but the fact remains that there is not just one vaccine in development, but many vaccines. “Mainly three types,” says oncopulmonologist Nicolas Girard. Messenger RNA vaccinations, boosted by the Covid pandemic, are being tested against melanoma or pancreatic tumors, among others. Classic injections based on small pieces of protein are suitable for a whole group of patients, as in the case of lung cancer, about which promising announcements were made this Monday.
Finally, “tailored” or personalized vaccines, particularly in the ENT field, are based on a patient’s tumor, which we know will work for one patient but not another. “Each has its own strengths and weaknesses,” notes Professor Girard, “but they all contribute to the precision medicine of tomorrow. »
Source: Le Parisien
I am a highly experienced and well-connected journalist, with a focus on healthcare news. I have worked for several major news outlets, and currently work as an author at 24 news recorder. My work has been featured in many prestigious publications, and I have a wide network of contacts in the healthcare industry. I am highly passionate about my work, and strive to provide accurate and timely information to my readers.
