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July 26, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines on Trial"

Nature Biotechnology (www.nature.com/nbt) (07/02) Vol. 20, No. 7, P. 659; Reichert, Janice M.; Paquette, Cherie

A disadvantage of standard cancer therapies is that healthy cells are destroyed, while newer antibody-based treatments have a high relapse rate.  Therapeutic cancer vaccines may offer the best benefits for cancer patients. The vaccines work by stimulating the production of anti-tumor antibodies and cytotoxic T lymphocytes by the immune system.  The antigens or whole cells used in the vaccines are either acquired from the patient or a human donor.  Twenty-eight new companies entered the therapeutic cancer vaccine market from 1993 to 2001.  Three U.S-made vaccines are currently in Phase III trials, and three are already marketed in Europe.  The major disadvantage of the products is that that cancer is too individualized for a optimal treatment to be available for every patient.

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