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Biotech / Medical : Biotech Valuation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Icebrg who wrote (10538)	2/20/2004 2:48:54 PM
From: Icebrg	Respond to of 52153

Vaccine 'boosts cancer survival' [While on the subject of cancer vaccines. This is a clip from BBC's health site.] The vaccine is tailored to each individual Scientists have developed a vaccine which could protect kidney cancer patients against the disease returning. Removal of part or all of the kidney is the standard treatment for the disease, but around half of patients will fall ill again within five years. But patients given the vaccine were more likely to survive, say scientists from the University of Lubeck, Germany. The study, in the Lancet, says the treatment could one day become routine for kidney cancer patients. Few side effects Each year, there are around 5,900 new cases of kidney cancer in the UK. Patients are currently given extra treatment after surgery, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, but this does not prevent cancer returning. Most patients would be very interested in a simple non-toxic treatment that reduces their chances of developing cancer again Professor Peter Selby, St James' Hospital, Leeds In this study, researchers followed 379 kidney cancer patients who had had part or all of their kidney removed. After surgery, just over half were given no additional treatment, and the rest a course of six injections of the vaccine at four-week intervals. Researchers found that 77% of those who received the vaccine, and 68% of those who did not, had survived for five years after surgery without their disease progressing. Only 12 patients suffered mild to moderate side effects from the vaccine The scientists, led by Professor Dieter Jocham, said the vaccine could now be considered for kidney cancer patients with tumours larger than 2.5 cm who have undergone surgery. Cases increasing However, experts stress they are some years away from being able to offer the vaccine widely to kidney cancer patients. The new vaccine has to be individually made for each person because it uses elements of the tumour to prime the body's immune system. Cancerous cells are removed from the body and killed, so they cannot form into another tumour. They are then injected into the body attached to a "foreign" substance that the body will attack, such as an extract of the tuberculosis bacteria. This should then stimulate the immune system to learn to attack the cancer cells, and therefore prevent the disease from returning. Professor Peter Selby, an oncologist at St James' Hospital, Leeds, told BBC News Online the research was "significant and encouraging". He added: "Kidney cancer isn't common - it accounts for around 3% of cancers - but it is the form of the disease which is increasing most rapidly, although we don't know why. "There is definitely evidence of a benefit from this vaccine. It's relatively small, but most patients would be very interested in a simple non-toxic treatment that reduces their chances of developing cancer again." news.bbc.co.uk