The cancer vaccine aims to stimulate the immune system so that it can recognize and eliminate tumor cells. Unlike normal vaccines, which aim to prevent the onset of the disease, the cancer vaccine is classified as immunotherapy because it allows the immune system to act on the recognition and destruction of cancer cells present in the person.Understand how immunotherapy works.
Therefore, the main objectives of the cancer vaccine are:
- Despite the great health benefit of the cancer vaccine.
- It is still in the research and testing phase.
- Tests on rats have performed well.
- But it is not yet known whether the same results can be observed in humans.
Currently, there is only one vaccine available in the Brazilian health system that can prevent certain types of cancer, such as cervical, vaginal, vulva and cancer, which is the HPV vaccine.The hepatitis B vaccine can also prevent liver cancer.cancer, which can be contracted from birth. Learn more about the hepatitis B vaccine, what it’s used for, and when to get vaccinated against HPV.
Cancer is a genetic disease caused by mutations in the genetic material of cells, either by genetic predisposition or by inducing factors, such as radiation, that alter the cell’s identity. Each type of cancer has its cellular identity, which can also vary from person to person.making it difficult to create a universal vaccine for all cancers or that is suitable for everyone.
For example, several studies are being conducted to identify the common characteristics of a particular type of cancer in several people to create the vaccine, as well as research related to immune system stimulation.Cancer vaccines are not yet available, such as human testing.and it is still necessary to monitor people receiving treatment to verify the effectiveness of treatment and possible side effects, as the results in mice are often not the same in humans.
The personalized cancer vaccine aims to create a specific vaccine for each person based on the analysis of their genetic material, which can be costly.This type of therapy is already used in Germany to help treat advanced cancer.
It works by sequencing a biological sample of the person, which may be blood, saliva, or the tumor itself, to look for areas that contain changes in the genetic material of cells, compared to a normal cell line.regions, the information is decoded in the form of mNSA and the vaccine is produced, with this, when administering the vaccine, the dendritic cells, which are cells responsible for regulating the immune system, recognize the antigen and begin to coordinate the immune response to eliminate cells that have this genetic identification.Learn more about the function of dendritic cells.
Some research shows that the personalized vaccine has its enhanced effects with the realization of another associated therapy, enrating the process.
This vaccine is the newest in terms of research and is already being tested in humans, it has been very effective in rats with skin cancer, melanoma, tumor cell removal is being checked, in addition to not being found around cancer when rats were induced back into cancer.
Under normal conditions, T cells, also called T cells, are responsible for the recognition of any foreign substance present in the body that may cause harm; However, in the case of cancer, there is an increase in the concentration of regulatory T cells, which act to protect the tumor, inhibiting the production of other lymphocytes.
Thus, the goal of this type of vaccine is to stimulate two stages of the immune system: the activation of the dendritic cell, which presents tumor antigens to T cells, and the costimulation of T cells to prevent them from taking on an immunosuppressive role., that is, protection, tumor.
This vaccine consists of individual tumor cells that are genetically modified to secrete cytokines that stimulate the proliferation and maturation of immune system cells, these genetically modified cells are irradiated before being applied to the patient to lose their ability to replicate and cause cancer.
This therapeutic strategy can be used in conjunction with other types of treatment, such as surgery to remove the tumor and chemotherapy, according to medical evaluation.