TroVax is a cancer vaccine that helps eliminate excess amounts of a protein called 5T4. High levels of 5T4 are often found in patients suffering from tumors. The virus engineered into the vaccine alerts the immune system to make antibodies that kill 5T4, which ultimately keeps the tumor from spreading.
Some patients have even had their tumors shrink in size. Unlike other vaccinations, patients will need to have the vaccine injected every few months to see results.
TroVax is being used in clinical studies for several different types of cancer, including colorectal cancer, kidney cancer, and ovarian cancer.
When used in a clinical study, the combination of TroVax and chemotherapy treatments has produced potentially encouraging results for those struggling with mesothelioma. The study was handled by researchers from Cardiff University in the United Kingdom.
Despite having 27 participants in the study, only 23 of the participants received at least one round of chemotherapy and three doses of the cancer vaccine. Yet the results of the combination were encouraging.
Findings showed that over 95 percent of the 23 participants developed an increased immune response after the treatments. Better yet, more than 17 percent of participants had tumor shrinkage.
Overall, the combination of the vaccination and chemotherapy treatments allowed for a longer survival period and increased disease control. According to the study results, the median time it took for the tumors to begin growing again was 6.8 months.
The implementation of cancer vaccines attracts skeptics; yet this approach to cancer eradication is showing hopeful results. Cancer vaccines differ from regular vaccines – instead of administering them to prevent sickness, cancer vaccines are designed to strengthen the patient’s immune responses after they have been diagnosed with the disease.
Strengthening the immune responses helps to destroy the cancer cells in the patient’s body, which ultimately helps with disease control.
Studies are still being implemented to fully understand the role of cancer vaccines in a patient’s regimen. Although previous cancer vaccines have failed, they allowed for an increased understanding about how vaccines work to fight cancer.
Scientists discovered that vaccines are best used in conjunction with other treatments in order to avoid cancer cell mutation.
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure, please consider contacting a Pennsylvania mesothelioma lawyer at Brookman, Rosenberg, Brown & Sandler. A mesothelioma diagnosis may invoke feelings of fear or hopelessness. Our lawyers work closely with clients and display compassion throughout the process. Contact us online or call 215-569-4000 for a free consultation. Our lawyers proudly serve clients in multiple convenient areas, including Delaware County, Chester County, and Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and throughout New Jersey.
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