“Game-changing” cancer vaccines are here and will be offered to thousands of Britons next year in what could be a watershed moment for the treatment of the disease.
Doctors believe the treatments, which are custom designed for each patient, will herald a new era in cancer care.
Father-of-four Elliot Pfebve, 55, became the first patient to receive the NHS version of the bowel cancer vaccine, receiving his first dose at University Hospitals Birmingham in March.
Doctors hope the shots, which use technology similar to some Covid vaccines, will one day become a standard part of cancer care.
But how do these vaccines work? How can patients get involved? And what exactly is its relationship to the controversial Covid jabs?
Father-of-four Elliot Pfebve (pictured), 55, became the first patient to receive a bowel cancer vaccine on the NHS, receiving his first dose at University Hospitals Birmingham in March.
Pictured are research nurses Ria (left), Hayley (right) and Dr Victoria Kunene (centre), consultant medical oncologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.
The process uses genetic material (RNA) from a patient’s tumor to develop the vaccine, which is then administered to patients through a series of infusions in the hospital.
Here, MailOnline answers all your questions…
How do cancer vaccines work?
Scientists take a sample of a cancer patient’s tumor and analyze its genetic code.
They then use some of this, called RNA, to develop a personalized vaccine for the patient in a laboratory.
When injected, the injection will instruct the body’s cells to make a harmless part of the tumor, triggering an immune system response.
This process trains the immune system to detect this element of cancer in the future and provide protection against the disease.
Traditional vaccines work on a similar principle: they use a small or weakened part of a pathogen, such as a virus, to help the immune system recognize it as a threat.
The same technology as cancer vaccines, called mRNA, is used in Covid shots.
Currently, cancer vaccines are offered in addition to standard cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, as a way to reduce the risk of cancer coming back.
It is not intended to be, at least in the near future, an independent therapy or cure.
What types of cancer can they treat?
Global trials are underway for several types of cancer, including skin, bowel and lung cancer.
The NHS itself has signed up so that patients with melanoma, prostate, head and neck cancer and bowel cancer can take part.
Earlier this year it was revealed that similar technology was used to help Steve Young, 52, from Stevenage, whose ‘bump on the head’ turned out to be dangerous skin cancer, melanoma.
There are also hopes of using anti-cancer mRNA injections to potentially treat breast, bladder and kidney cancer in the near future.
How many patients will benefit? Can I get involved?
Dozens of patients have already started receiving vaccines through the NHS through its “cancer vaccine launch platform”.
The health service expects this figure to reach “thousands” by 2026.
Patients will be invited to take part in the cancer vaccine trial through their standard NHS cancer treatment.
Tests using samples of your cancer tissue and blood will be used to assess your suitability for the trial.
The patient will still have to undergo traditional cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, before receiving the vaccine.
Patients will be offered the vaccine through a series of infusions at their nearest participating NHS site up to 12 months after initial treatment ends.
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What is the relationship with Covid mRNA injections? Do they have the same side effects?
mRNA technology dates back to 2005, but it wasn’t until during the Covid pandemic that mRNA vaccines became a recognizable term for most people.
Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer, in collaboration with BioNTech, and Moderna developed Covid mRNA shots to help banish the darkest days of the pandemic.
Millions of Britons have received one or more of these Covid mRNA injections, either as part of the initial rollout or during multiple booster campaigns.
BioNTech is one of the companies involved in the development of new cancer vaccines, including the bowel cancer vaccine that Mr Pfebve received.
Numerous conspiracy theories about Covid mRNA injections are circulating online.
Some claim they change your DNA, are part of a global depopulation conspiracy or are behind a wave of ‘sudden deaths’ or ‘turbocancers’.
However, none of these are considered credible by respected health experts.
However, mRNA injections, like any medication, carry the risk of adverse side effects, the most famous of which, in Covid versions, was the risk of myocarditis, a potentially dangerous inflammation of the heart muscle.
While it exists, the risk has been greatly exaggerated by conspiracy theorists, and most cases are mild and resolve on their own.
Experts have also highlighted that a Covid infection itself can also cause myocarditis.
The exact side effect risks of mRNA cancer vaccines have not been listed, as the shots are currently only available as part of clinical trials.
Patients will be informed of all known risks and what symptoms to watch for before receiving the vaccine.
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Are there potential disadvantages or problems with implementing the NHS?
While it is billed as representing a new era in the fight against cancer, there could be potential problems with wider implementation.
Firstly, the injections are still in the clinical trial phase and although the findings have been positive so far, problems may still be discovered, both in terms of safety and effectiveness.
Another problem is that they are much more expensive than traditional vaccines.
Standard vaccines, such as flu and even Covid shots, are manufactured on a large scale to combat a specific type of pathogen such as a virus.
In practical terms, this means you will receive the same vaccine formulation as anyone else at the pharmacy or GP’s office.
However, cancer vaccines are different.
Each patient receives an injection specifically designed to target the unique genetic data of that person’s cancer.
This is a much more intensive process and therefore expensive.
Trials are currently funded by drug manufacturers, making them free to the NHS.
However, if adopted by the NHS, the vaccines will have to undergo a cost-benefit analysis by the health service, just like any new medicine.
This could, in theory, restrict them to certain types of cancers or particular patient groups.
