Researchers Find Potential in Possible Lung Cancer Vaccine
A team of researchers from the University of Strasbourg reported that they found promise in a possible vaccine against lung cancer. The vaccine is said to work by triggering the immune system to attack the most common type of lung cancer.
The results of early clinical trials, conducted on 148 study participants, indicated that adding the vaccine to chemotherapy was able to slow the progression of the cancer. Its effect on overall survival, however, was limited, and this has prompted the need for further trials.
The vaccine used in the study is called TG4010, which is a modified pox virus. The virus is distantly related to smallpox, and has been genetically modified into a “cancerous” surface protein.
The study participants consisted of patients suffering from advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. All the patients underwent standard chemotherapy treatment, but half of them were also infected with the virus.
Results of the trial showed that after six months, the condition of vaccinated patients proved to be more stable when compared against those who only underwent chemotherapy. “Progression free survival” among vaccinated patients was 43 percent, and 35 percent or those who were only given chemotherapy treatment.
Prof. Peter Johnson, of Cancer Research UK, shared: “There’s a lot of interest in harnessing the power of the immune system to treat cancer. This early-stage study shows that combining a vaccine with chemotherapy is possible, and may have some benefits for some people with lung cancer.”
Tags: lung cancer, lung cancer medication, lung cancer medicines, lung cancer prevention, lung cancer treatment, lung cancer vaccination, lung cancer vaccine
