Cancer Vaccine: December 2006 Archives

A study has found that men with advanced, often untreatable prostate cancer who received a therapeutic cancer vaccine went on to survive longer than those receiving a placebo.
Study findings showed the vaccine group lived up to an average of four-and-a-half months longer and had a greater than three-fold increase in survival at 36 months when compared to patients in the placebo group.

The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial was conducted to test the efficacy of the vaccine, called sipuleucel-T, in delaying disease progression and prolonging survival in patients with asymptomatic metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC).

by Michael N. Westley

A vaccine that prevents the spread of the human papillomavirus (HPV) has been approved for women and promises to decrease the risk of cervical cancer.

But in the face of such an exciting announcement, one question remains: What about the guys?

Of course, men don't have cervixes, but they do contract and spread HPV, which can cause genital warts and in some cases, rectal cancer. Research also has shown that men are excellent carriers of the strain of HPV that causes cancer in women without developing any symptoms themselves.

The good news is that a vaccine for men may not be too far away, according to a Utah researcher.

Legislation that would urge young girls to receive a vaccine to fight cervical cancer hit a red light. The bill passed easily in the senate, but did not pass in the state house.

Concerns about the vaccine's long-term effects hindered the bill's ability to gain enough support with lawmakers.

However, the Food and Drug Administration did approve the vaccination for use in girls as young as nine years old.

source - WLNS 

By Ed Susman SAN ANTONIO, TX -- December 15, 2006 -- A experimental breast cancer vaccine appeared to offer protection against recurrences but failed to achieve statistical significance after 2 years of treatment, doctors reported here at the 29th San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS).

"Recurrence rates reached 8.3% among the 101 women who received the vaccine and 16% among the 85 women who acted as controls in the trial," said Col. George Peoples, a surgeon at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Despite the nearly 50% reduction in recurrence, the small numbers of women in the trial resulted in a statistical value that is above the cutoff generally recognized as being significant.

Merck & Co Company has developed a unique quadruple vaccine for preventing cervical cancer, which is expected to appear in Russia next year.
      
The vaccine is called "Gardasil" and is recommended for women aged between 9 and 26 as a preventive measure for malignant growths in womb neck, caused by human papilloma virus of types 6, 11, 16 and 18.
      
Gardasil is not a therapeutic agent, it is designed only for prevention, and thus the most effective way of application for this vaccine is vaccination of girls before they start their sexual life.

James Colgrove, Ph.D., M.P.H.

On September 12, 2006, 3 months after the Food and Drug Administrationlicensed a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), Michiganlawmakers became the first in the United States to propose thatvaccination be compulsory for girls entering sixth grade. Parentswho objected would be able to opt out of the requirement underthe same provisions that apply to other vaccinations. The billpassed the state senate by an overwhelming margin a week laterand awaits consideration by the house. Other states are likelyto follow Michigan's lead.

The development of Gardasil, Merck's HPV vaccine, is of majorpublic health importance. The vaccine protects against fourstrains of HPV, the most common sexually transmitted diseasein the United States, including the two strains that cause mostcases of cervical cancer. More than 6 million people in thiscountry become infected with HPV every year, and nearly 10,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Because the vaccinehas the greatest benefit when it is given before a person becomessexually active, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practicesof the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendedthat it be given routinely to girls at 11 or 12 years of age;it is not yet approved for use in boys. The committee took noposition on whether vaccination should be required by law; suchpolicy decisions are made by individual states.