Summary, Patients will be able to get immunotherapy in the form of a vaccine called nivolumab in just 15 minutes, as opposed to an hour on an IV drip. England becomes the first country in Europe to offer it, with approximately 1,200 people receiving it each month for 15 different types of cancer, including skin, bladder, and oesophageal cancer. The medicine is a monoclonal antibody that attaches to a protein called PD-1 on a type of immune cell known as a T cell. It works by preventing cancer cells from deactivating T-cells, allowing the immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells.
this post was submitted on 03 May 2025
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It's not a vaccine, though, it's a treatment for people who already have cancer, not a prophylactic. And it's still delivered by IV.
As an elaboration; vaccines do exist for cancer causing viruses such as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer, but "cancer" is an extremely broad term that describes the general concept of cells replicating too much or in places they shouldn't, and applies to many many different disease processes with many different causes and treatments.
However, this treatment does apply to multiple forms of cancer, which is really exciting!
Fun fact: so far they've found 7 viruses that cause cancer.
...that's not fun at all.
True, true.
Anyhoo. You don't want any virus. Even a "harmless" virus like the common cold can fuck shit up.
more fun than most social gatherings
That is quite a mistake.
Also: "as England becomes the first country in Europe to offer it."
https://www.maggiedeblock.be/immuuntherapie-voor-het-eerst-terugbetaald-voor-eerste-lijn-longkanker/
It says immune therapy from now on paid back by the goverment.
From january 2017 in Belgium!
What are these journalists smoking?
It's the Independent.
So for us non-british readers… that does mean they smoke a lot?
It seems to be authorised for usage in the EU since 10 years??? what is this all about? https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/opdivo
There are therapeutic vaccines, like for rabies, which you only get after you have been exposed to the thing to be treated (in this case, cancer).
Preventative vaccinations are for sure the ones we are most familiar with, but they aren’t the only kind :)
Lol is vaccine like a general term for any treatment now?