Health Cuba Announces Release of the World's First Lung Cancer Vaccine

[The Helper]

From the island nation known for the quality of its cigars comes some pretty big news today: Xinhua reports that Cuban medical authorities have released the first therapeutic vaccine for lung cancer. CimaVax-EGF is the result of a 25-year research project at Havana’s Center for Molecular Immunology, and it could make a life or death difference for those facing late-stage lung cancers, researchers there say.

CimaVax-EGF isn’t a vaccine in the preventative sense--that is, it doesn’t prevent lung cancer from taking hold in new patients. It’s based on a protein related to uncontrolled cell proliferation--that is, it doesn’t prevent cancer from existing in the first place but attacks the mechanism by which it does harm.

As such it can turn aggressive later-stage lung cancer into a manageable chronic disease by creating antibodies that do battle with the proteins that cause uncontrolled cell proliferation, researchers say. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are still recommended as a primary means of destroying cancerous tissue, but for those showing no improvement the new vaccine could be a literal lifesaver.

Cuba Announces Release of the World's First Lung Cancer Vaccine

From the island nation known for the quality of its cigars comes some pretty big news today: Xinhua reports that Cuban medical authorities have released the first therapeutic vaccine for lung cancer. CimaVax-EGF is the result of a 25-year research project at Havana's Center for Molecular...

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[Prometheus]

Awesome!

 

[Slapshot136]

well, I suppose lung cancer and cigars go hand in hand, so it makes sense for it to come from cuba..

 

[FireCat]

Well, It's Just a vaccine, not a cure.

 

[Sevion]

I don't believe in vaccines.

 

[NoobImbaPro]

Vaccines is not religion

 

[Sevion]

You're missing something...

 

[DDRtists]

Well, It's Just a vaccine, not a cure.

Does that make this any less good news? Nah, it's still a great step medically.

 

[Varine]

well, I suppose lung cancer and cigars go hand in hand, so it makes sense for it to come from cuba..

Cigars = throat cancer. Well you can still get lung cancer, but throat cancer seems more likely.

 

[Vestras]

Well, It's Just a vaccine, not a cure.

If you have a vaccine, you generally don't need a 'cure'. If you don't get the illness, why have a cure?

 

[WildTurkey]

when can i get this in Australia? (Broken Link)

Actually upon reading additional sources, i am looking for a preventative rather than a treatment. Not so exciting

 

[FireCat]

If you have a vaccine, you generally don't need a 'cure

Well, vaccine doesn't always prevents a illness!

 

[DDRtists]

Well, vaccine doesn't always prevents a illness!

Chances are, if a vaccine is approved, it probably does what its supposed to...
Vaccines aren't meant to fully prevent. They're meant to help improve immunity to the disease. Therefore, even if it doesn't fully stop the chance of getting it, if it makes it harder to get it, it's better than nothing. You guys are being overly pessimistic about this.

 

[Varine]

Sometimes vaccines give you the disease.

 

[The Helper]

Sometimes vaccines give you the disease.

That is normally how vaccines work.

 

[Varine]

That is normally how vaccines work.

Normally they give you a small dosage of the disease so that you develop the proper antibodies, so that you can produce them faster when you get the virus or whatever before actually contracting it. In some cases (I think Polio is the big one), it doesn't work that way and you actually contract it, is what I mean.

 

[Sevion]

You would only contract it if your immune system was very weak.

 

[Varine]

You would only contract it if your immune system was very weak.

There are times when your immune system is fine, but your body simply doesn't fight it fast enough, or it acts quicker than expected. It's rare, but it does happen.

 

[The Helper]

I wonder if this is only available in Cuba?