- Vaccines that prevent cancer
- What types of vaccines are studied?
- Personalized cancer vaccine
- Vaccine that stimulates T cells
The cancer vaccine aims to stimulate the immune system so that it is able to recognize tumor cells and eliminate them. Unlike normal vaccines, which aim to prevent the occurrence of diseases, the cancer vaccine is classified as immunotherapy, as it allows the immune system to act in the recognition and destruction of cancer cells present in the person. Understand how immunotherapy works.
Thus, the main objectives of the cancer vaccine are:
- Prevents the growth and spread of cancer; Eliminates tumor cells that are in the body even with other treatment, such as chemotherapy, for example; Prevents the cancer from returning.
Despite the great advantage that the cancer vaccine has for health, it is still in the research and testing phase. Tests performed on rats have shown good results, but it is not yet known whether the same results can be seen in people.
Vaccines that prevent cancer
Currently, there is only one vaccine available in the Brazilian health system that is capable of preventing some types of cancer, such as cervical, vaginal, vulvar and anal cancer, which is the HPV vaccine. The hepatitis B vaccine is also able to prevent the occurrence of liver cancer, which can be taken right at birth. Find out more about the hepatitis B vaccine and what it is for and when to get the HPV vaccine.
What types of vaccines are studied?
Cancer is a genetic disease caused by mutations occurring in the genetic material of cells, either by genetic predisposition or by inducing factors, such as radiation, for example, which alters the cell's identity. Each type of cancer has its cellular identity, which can also vary between people, making it difficult to create a vaccine that is universal for all types of cancer or that fits all people.
Thus, several researches are being carried out to identify common characteristics of a certain type of cancer in several people to create the vaccine, in addition to research related to the stimulation of the immune system. Cancer vaccines are not yet available, as tests on humans and monitoring of treated people are still needed to verify treatment effectiveness and possible side effects, as the results in mice are often not the same in humans.
Personalized cancer vaccine
The personalized cancer vaccine aims to create a specific vaccine for each person from the analysis of their genetic material, which can become expensive. This type of therapy is already used in Germany to help treat advanced cancer.
It works by sequencing a person's biological sample, which can be blood, saliva or the tumor itself, to check the regions that contain changes in the genetic material of the cells, compared to a normal cell line. From the identification of the altered regions, the information is decoded in the form of mRNA and the vaccine is produced. Thus, when administering the vaccine, the dendritic cells, which are cells responsible for regulating the immune system, recognize the antigen and start to coordinate the immune response in order to eliminate the cells that have this genetic identification. Understand more about the function of dendritic cells.
Some research shows that the personalized vaccine has its effects enhanced with the performance of another associated therapy, which makes the process more expensive.
Vaccine that stimulates T cells
This vaccine is the most current in terms of research and is already being tested in humans. This vaccine was very effective in rats with skin cancer, melanoma, with elimination of tumor cells being verified, in addition to not having been found around cancer when the rats were induced again to cancer.
Under normal conditions, T cells, also called T lymphocytes, are responsible for recognizing any foreign substance present in the body that can cause damage. However, in the case of cancer, there is an increase in the concentration of regulatory T lymphocytes, which act to protect the tumor, inhibiting the production of other lymphocytes.
Thus, the objective of this type of vaccine is to stimulate two stages of the immune system: the activation of the dendritic cell, which presents the tumor antigens to T lymphocytes, and the co-stimulation of T cells to prevent them from assuming an immunosuppressive role, that is, of protection of the tumor.
This vaccine consists of tumor cells of the person and genetically modified in order to secrete cytokines that stimulate the proliferation and maturation of cells of the immune system. These genetically modified cells are irradiated before being applied to the patient so that they lose their ability to replicate and cause cancer.
This therapeutic strategy can be used together with other types of treatment, such as surgery to remove the tumor and chemotherapy, depending on the medical evaluation.
