Breast Cancer Vaccine Takes a Big, Encouraging Step Closer to Reality
Exciting news on the women's health front this week: a vaccine that shows promise in halting the progress of breast and ovarian cancer and increasing the survival rates of women with advanced cases of the disease.
Hooray!
Although the study exploring the effects of the PANVAC vaccine, conducted at the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, was small, the effects were dramatic. Twenty-six women were treated (all of them with breast or ovarian cancer that had already spread to other organs) with the vaccine. In four women, the disease was brought to a halt. One woman experienced what sounds like a miracle: Her cancer just totally disappeared.
What's more, side effects were extremely mild: The women were given the vaccine via monthly shots. Their complaints were no worse than a minor reaction at the site of the injections, which, to me, doesn't sound like anything more dramatic than you might get from a flu shot!
Researchers are hopeful that, if administered earlier and on women with less advanced forms of cancer, the vaccine could prove even more effective.
Clearly, in an area that so many of us women have been thirsting for progress, the results of this study comes as more than welcome news. But of course, we shouldn't get too far ahead of ourselves. Further, larger-scale studies will be needed to verify the results. And it can take a long time for a treatment to make the journey from the clinical-trial phase to widespread use.
Still, solutions to women's most pressing health problems like breast and ovarian cancer will be found one step at a time. And this step sure sounds like a promising one that -- one hopes -- is headed in the right direction.
Are you excited about the prospect of a breast and ovarian cancer vaccine?
Image via jdsmith1021/Flickr
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Stephanie Colvin Scott
Patti McNeal
micheledo
It doesn't seem right to call it a vaccine. If it is given AFTER you get cancer - wouldn't it be more like medicine? A vaccine is to prevent a disease from occuring.
If it halts the cancer or gets rid of it, that is great! However I would be nervous about it being marketed as a vaccine - give to every women before she has cancer.
colins_mom
michelea
Crimsonia
Or y'all could hope for it to be fast tracked..... like Gardasil was. 2 short years from development to market! Woo Hoo.... How awesome is that....
OH WAIT... THAT'S right... Gardasil is the single most dangerous and deadly vaccine to date!!!!!
You're right Stephanie Colvin Scott... we DO have a pretty messed up system! I wonder if they'll end up fast tracking this breast cancer "vaccine" just like they did Gardasil.... I hope for the sake of our pre-teen daughters....(because that's who will be targeted with this vaccine... mark my words on that)... they don't!!
Mama2ETA
I say NO. I say they need to continue this research for YEARS. Like PP said about gardasil! Let's be patient. It needs to be treated as a drug being studied for YEARS and those who choose to use it need to be aware of the UNKNOWNS.
seksen
I think they definitely need to take their time on something like this, we all know of have heard of how dangerous cancer really is. If they can slow or stop it - amazing! But things look like they are headed in the right direction. Hopefully it stays going this way!!
Queen_Bree
I would never take a vaccine to prevent something that can be prevented by partaking in good healthy living. There are piles and piles of evidence thatstate that the best way to aviod cancer of anykind is healthy living, good food, vitamins and exercise and avoiding fast foods and toxins.
JasonsMom2007
I'm anti-vaccine but this doesn't sound like a vaccine, it sounds like a treatment! And I'm all for cures for cancer :)