VACCINE FOR CANCER.

 Vladimir Putin announced a few days ago that Russia is very close to finding a vaccine for cancer and they would be available to the people soon, but he did not specify as to which cancer it treats. 

In the world, about 1 in 5 people develop cancer in their lifetime and approximately 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women die from the disease. 

In the year 2022, 20 million new cancer cases have been detected all over the world. 

Cancer has also killed 9.7 million people in the same year. 

In 2022 Lung cancer is the most common cancer with 2.5 million new cases accounting for 12.4% of the new cancer cases. 

2nd was female breast cancer followed by colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and stomach cancer. 

Let us await Russia’s new cancer vaccine, but in the meantime let us examine the info about cancer vaccines 

There are 2 types of cancer vaccines 

1. Preventive cancer vaccines 

2. Therapeutic cancer vaccines. 

PREVENTIVE CANCER VACCINES:

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine

This vaccine prevents the HPV virus, which is so common that nearly all sexually active people get it at some point in their life. 

Unless the HPV vaccine is taken, the Chronic HPV infection can cause several types of cancer, including 

Cervical cancer, 

Head and neck cancers, 

Anal cancer, 

Penile cancer, 

Vaginal cancer, 

Vulvar cancer. 

The HPV vaccine greatly reduces risk of these cancers.

Hepatitis B Vaccine.

Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). 

It ranges in severity from a mild illness, lasting a few weeks (acute), to a serious long-term (chronic) illness that can lead to liver cancer.

Taking the hepatitis B vaccine reduces the risk of liver cancer.

THERAPEUTIC CANCER VACCINES

Doctors use therapeutic cancer vaccines to treat cancer after it occurs rather than to prevent it.

Therapeutic vaccines work by training your body to protect itself against its own damaged or abnormal cells, including cancer cells.

Several therapeutic cancer vaccines have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are already in use for different cancers:

Prostrate cancer vaccine

Bladder cancer vaccine

Melanoma vaccine

APPROVED ONCOVACCINES

ONCHOPHAGE was approved in Russia in 2008 for Kidney cancer.

SIPULEUCEL-T, PROVENGE was approved by the FDA in April 2010 for metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. 

CIMAVAX-EGF was approved in Cuba in 2011. Similar to Oncophage, it is not yet approved for use by the FDA, although it is already undergoing phase II trials to that end. 

BACILLUS CALMETTE GUERRIN (BCG) was approved by the FDA in 1990 as a vaccine for early-stage bladder cancer. BCG can be administered intravesically (directly into the bladder) or as an adjuvant in other cancer vaccines. BCG is also of course a vaccine for TB.