He cancerone of the deadliest diseases in the world, continues to affect millions of people globally. In Mexico, the death rate from cancer has shown a worrying increase in the last decade.
According to statistics from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), in 2012, the rate was 62.04 per 100 thousand inhabitants, and by 2022 it increased to 68.92. This Alarming growth highlights the urgency of developing more effective treatments.
Science, however, is constantly evolving, and advances in medical research give us a glimmer of hope. An example of this is the development of personalized cancer vaccinesled by biotechnology companies such as Modern and BioNTech.
These vaccines, which use the same mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines, are designed to prime patients’ immune systems to recognize and destroy remaining cancer cells.thus reducing the risk of relapse.
These innovative vaccines are currently in the experimental phase and are being tested in clinical trials in the United Kingdom. BioNTech, for example, has started a trial against colon cancer.
Elliot, a 55-year-old patient, was the first individual to receive a personalized vaccine after the removal of a 30-centimeter tumor in his large intestine. Although surgery and chemotherapy failed to completely eliminate cancerous DNA in his bloodstream, Elliot enrolled in the BioNTech trial in hopes of preventing cancer recurrence.
“I’m excited. I did some research on the treatment trial. If successful, it will be a major medical breakthrough,” Elliot said. “It can help thousands, if not millions, of people, so they can have hope and not experience everything I have experienced.”
Moderna has also begun clinical trials of personalized cancer vaccines. In London, a patient received an mRNA vaccine against melanoma, a type of skin cancer. In addition to melanoma, Moderna and BioNTech are testing mRNA vaccines for several types of cancer, including lung, breast and bladder.
These personalized vaccines work by identifying specific mutations in each patient’s tumor. Doctors use this information to create a vaccine that stimulates the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
For example, in Elliot’s case, samples of his tumor were sent to BioNTech laboratories, where up to 20 specific mutations were identified. Using this information, an mRNA vaccine was created that instructs the patient’s cells to produce mutated proteins unique to her cancer cells.
The implementation of evidence-based strategies, such as prevention, screening and early detection of cancer, is crucial to control this disease.
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