Hope for a vaccine against “the cancer from asbestos A Dutch team would progress today in the development of a therapeutic vaccine against pleural mesothelioma, a tumor that affects primarily the victims of asbestos.
Initial tests seem to show a good tolerance of the vaccine. This is encouraging news in the fight against a disease whose prognosis is now darker.
The candidate vaccine has been developed from dendritic cells – immune system cells – patients placed in contact with tumor antigens. The specific immune response that has resulted has effectively fight against the disease: 10 patients on whom the candidate vaccine was tested, three have seen their cancer regress.
With 700 to 800 new cases reported each year in France, the survival rate at 5 years of mesothelioma of the pleura is estimated at 5%. According to the first assessment of the National Mesothelioma Surveillance established in 1998, nearly 90% of its victims suffer as a result of occupational exposure to asbestos. The use of this material is prohibited since 1997, but these cancers are generally reported for years, even decades after exposure. In addition, the diagnosis is often difficult, clinical manifestations are nonspecific. Thus this type of cancer is it too often diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Tags: Asbestos, Clinical Manifestations, Immune System Cells, Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma
