The Soul of the Great Bell
Vaccines to Fight Cancer
A vaccine is a very common way of building up the immune system to fight infection. Using vaccines to fight breast cancer is relatively new, however, and still considered experimental. A vaccine for breast cancer may consist of an antigen cocktail of weakened or essentially dead elements of breast cancer cells that could stimulate an antibody response. The cancer vaccine might be prepared from your own deactivated cancer cells, or from extracts of breast cancer cells cultivated in a laboratory. Vaccines like this are only available in clinical trials. But as soon as these vaccines are proven effective and win FDA-approval, they will become available outside of clinical trials.
The vaccine is given by injection (usually under the skin). Once your immune system becomes aware of the antigens in the vaccine, it responds by making antibodies. Hopefully these antibodies will able to attack and destroy any remaining cancer cells. Later, if any new cancer cells appear, the circulating antibodies of the vaccine-educated immune system would destroy them also.
The Challenges of Cancer Vaccines
Although vaccines have a strong track record in fighting many serious infections (such as polio, mumps, and measles), they are very much in the experimental stage for cancer. One problem is the way cancer progresses. It begins when one of your normal cells becomes abnormal and starts multiplying out of control, generation after generation. Each generation produces variations.
Eventually the cancer has countless faces, with a limitless variety of antigens that need to be targeted by antibodies. The cancer vaccine, however, results in a LIMITED number of antibodies against the specific cancer cell antigens that were in the ORIGINAL vaccine preparation. These antibodies may not be effective against the full range of newly developing cancer cells.
In addition, an effective vaccine must summon antibodies that target the bad cells and leave normal cells alone.
A vaccine is a very common way of building up the immune system to fight infection. Using vaccines to fight breast cancer is relatively new, however, and still considered experimental. A vaccine for breast cancer may consist of an antigen cocktail of weakened or essentially dead elements of breast cancer cells that could stimulate an antibody response. The cancer vaccine might be prepared from your own deactivated cancer cells, or from extracts of breast cancer cells cultivated in a laboratory. Vaccines like this are only available in clinical trials. But as soon as these vaccines are proven effective and win FDA-approval, they will become available outside of clinical trials.
The vaccine is given by injection (usually under the skin). Once your immune system becomes aware of the antigens in the vaccine, it responds by making antibodies. Hopefully these antibodies will able to attack and destroy any remaining cancer cells. Later, if any new cancer cells appear, the circulating antibodies of the vaccine-educated immune system would destroy them also.
The Challenges of Cancer Vaccines
Although vaccines have a strong track record in fighting many serious infections (such as polio, mumps, and measles), they are very much in the experimental stage for cancer. One problem is the way cancer progresses. It begins when one of your normal cells becomes abnormal and starts multiplying out of control, generation after generation. Each generation produces variations.
Eventually the cancer has countless faces, with a limitless variety of antigens that need to be targeted by antibodies. The cancer vaccine, however, results in a LIMITED number of antibodies against the specific cancer cell antigens that were in the ORIGINAL vaccine preparation. These antibodies may not be effective against the full range of newly developing cancer cells.
In addition, an effective vaccine must summon antibodies that target the bad cells and leave normal cells alone.