Vaccines Global Summit

In terms of developing cancer treatment approaches, cancer vaccines and immunotherapy work by harnessing the body's immune mechanisms to target and destroy the cells responsible for cancer. Unlike traditional vaccines, which prevent infectious diseases, cancer vaccines and immunotherapies are designed either to prevent certain types of cancer or to treat existing cancer by encouraging an immune response against cancer cells.

Preventive cancer vaccines specifically target viruses associated with certain cancers. For example, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is developed to protect against HPV strains that can cause cervical, anal, and other cancers. Similarly, the hepatitis B vaccine reduces the risk of liver cancer by preventing the development of a known risk factor for such infections: hepatitis B. These vaccines effectively reduce the incidence of cancer by preventing infections with viruses that may lead to cancer.

On the other hand, therapeutic vaccines are aimed at patients who already have cancer. These vaccines introduce antigens specific to cancer cells, enabling the immune system to recognize and attack those cells. One example is Sipuleucel-T, a therapeutic vaccine approved by the FDA for treating advanced prostate cancer, which provokes the patient’s immune system to target prostate cancer cells. Although therapeutic vaccines are still an area of active research, they hold great promise for improving outcomes in various cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, and breast cancer.

Immunotherapy is another powerful tool in the fight against cancer, enhancing the immune system's ability to attack cancer. One form of immunotherapy, checkpoint inhibitors, blocks proteins that would otherwise prevent the immune system from attacking cancer cells. By blocking these proteins, checkpoint inhibitors allow the immune system to attack cancer more effectively. Another innovative technique is CAR T-cell therapy, which involves modifying T cells in a patient to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Together, cancer vaccines and immunotherapy represent a more personalized approach to cancer therapy, providing alternatives that can augment or even supplant traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. As research continues to evolve, these therapies show promise in improving survival rates and the quality of life for patients affected by cancer, bringing hope for a more effective fight against this complex disease.