Can Cancer Be Fought With a Vaccine? (Post #12)

Hi! Welcome back! This is Sunday's second post, following our double post scheduled for this week. Let's dive right in!

Today, we'll be looking at yet another advancement in cancer research and medicine. However, instead of looking at diagnostic tools like we have in past articles, today we'll be looking at a form of treatment: vaccines!

Now, you might be feeling a bit confused. Aren't vaccines usually a preventative measure, allowing people to fight off a disease if they ever contract it? That's true, but this vaccine is a little different.

As most of you may know, cancer is caused by an irregularity in a person's cells, where they are not able to stop cell division. Due to this, they grow uncontrollably. Since these cancer cells are not invaders or pathogens, but our own cells with our own DNA, the immune system isn't able to recognize and fight them! Well, this "vaccine" attempts to fix this.

Like traditional vaccines, it focuses on the immune system, but is administered AFTER a patient has been diagnosed with cancer. The vaccine leads your immune system to target something called "neoantigens". These antigens are mutated proteins that are found ONLY on cancer cells. So, unlike traditional treatments like chemotherapy, only cancer cells are harmed, not the whole body!

Let's look exactly at how this process works:

1. After cancer diagnosis is confirmed, a patient's tumor sample is collected

   1. through a previous biopsy (if that was the method of diagnosis) or a new surgery.

2. DNA sequencing is performed on the tumor cells

   1. Scientists get to know your genetic material so they can customize treatment

3. AI and bioinformatics identify mutations

   1. Mutations are changes in your DNA that led to the cancer. They are caused by a number of different factors, depending on the case.

4. Selection of strongest neoantigens (most detectable by immune system)

   1. These are what the immune cells will learn to target

5. Personalized vaccine is created (usually mRNA or peptide-based)

6. Patient is given vaccine injection

7. Immune system responds

   1. T-cells (part of your immune system) are activated

   2. As a result, your cancer cells are targeted and destroyed

These vaccines are part of an emerging field of "personalized medicine", where a patient's genetic information is studied and their treatment is tailored for it. While these treatments tend to be on the more expensive side, their personalization means the treatment works the best it can for a patient!

Looking specifically at throat and oral cancer, they have a much higher reccurence rate. This is why having treatments that target ONLY cancer cells is especially important for throat and oral cancer. In traditional treatments, where all somatic cells are targeted, patients' bodies get worn down from the inside, killing not only the cancer, but the patients' bodies themselves!

Overall, this treatment has great potential to be part of a new age of cancer care, where quality of life is maintained. It can be combined with other treatments like immunotherapy and radiation, and is adaptable if the cancer mutates.

Currently, clinical trails are underway, and these vaccines are not yet being used in normal treatment. They're doing great in trials, showing strong immune responses in pateints and reduced tumor size. Research for this vaccine concept is also expanding to be suitable for multiple types of cancer.

However, some limitations still exist. The personalization factor will likely increase the cost of this treatment, and advanced labs will be needed. Also, neoantigens, which the immune cells are taught to target, are not strong in all cancer types. In cancers will weak neoantigens, the treatment will not be as effective.

As treatments get more advanced, it is a worldwide hope that cancer becomes a manageable condition rather than a life-threatening disease. Spiramen is working to aid in the fight towards cancer too, focusing specifically on diagnosis in the underpriveleged community. Thanks for reading, and come back next Friday for another exciting post!

Information Citations:

“Cancer Vaccines.” American Cancer Society, https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/immunotherapy/cancer-vaccines.html

“Cancer Vaccines: The Types, How They Work, and Which Cancers They Treat.” Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/cancer-treatments/immunotherapy/cancer-vaccines

Image Citations:

City Of Hope. Vaccines: Standard of Care for Some Cancers, Elusive for Others, 29 Aug. 2024, www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2024/08/vaccine-for-cancer-prevention#Q2.