Vaccination can protect you from some cancers

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I read an interesting abstract in my medical general purpose newspaper. This abstract related two scientifical studies about the melanomena.



For those who ignore the melanomena is one of the worst skin cancer. In your life you have one % chance to get one (at least in France, results may differ elsewhere). This is the fifth cause of mortality among people under 40 years.



These scientifical studies have demonstrated that the people who recieved the small pox vaccination and in a lesser extent the tuberculosis vaccination have less chances of having this cancer.

Basically someone who recieved the small pox vaccine, have 50 % less chances of getting a melanomena, and when they have one, the survey after surgical remove of the tumor is much more important.



This work, and many others, show that the immune road, is perhaps the good one for some kind of cancers.

Some team are trying to make a melanoma vaccination.



At my own personal level, I am happy to have recieved the small pox vaccine. I use to think that this vaccination was worthless.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    I have to ask the obvious question: Could it be that people who get the vaccine are more responsible in other ways? For example, wearing sunscreen? I do think there's a link between the immune system and cancer, but I wonder why the small pox vaccine would be a protective factor?
  • Reply 2 of 8
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BRussell

    I have to ask the obvious question: Could it be that people who get the vaccine are more responsible in other ways? For example, wearing sunscreen? I do think there's a link between the immune system and cancer, but I wonder why the small pox vaccine would be a protective factor?



    I read only the abstract but I don't think there is any correlation between vaccination and wearing sunscream.



    For example in France, small pox vaccine was mandatory when I was a kid.



    The problem with cancer like melanoma, is that your immune system is becoming blind to the tumoral cell. It let them live.

    But you can reverse this. Some teams, take the Tcell of the patient, cultivate them with some melanoma cells and reinject this Tcell in the patient. This T cell are not blind anymore and are working on the melanoma. (it works 40 % of the time).

    Interferon is also one of the major therapy of melanoma. It help the immune system to kill the tumoral cell either.

    So most of the research involved in melanoma deal with the immune system, and in particular the lymphocyte T one.



    By stimulating it, the small pox vaccine, may have made this system stronger. Note that no one is suggesting to practice small pox vaccination, but to try a more specialised vaccination, like the dendritis one.



    I am confident, that in less than a decade we will have much more efficient therapy than the ones we have now, wich are pretty disapointing (to many of my patients died of melanoma).



    Speaking of sunscream you are absolutely right. Unfortunately , sunscream did not reduced the amount of melanoma. By removing sunburn, people are able to spend more time under the sun. The today recommandation (especially for kids) are avoid the beach between 10 AM and 4 PM. Sunscream are good but it's not a reason to spend more time under the sun.

    UV bath are dangerous.
  • Reply 3 of 8
    anandanand Posts: 285member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Powerdoc

    I read an interesting abstract in my medical general purpose newspaper. This abstract related two scientifical studies about the melanomena.



    For those who ignore the melanomena is one of the worst skin cancer. In your life you have one % chance to get one (at least in France, results may differ elsewhere). This is the fifth cause of mortality among people under 40 years.



    These scientifical studies have demonstrated that the people who recieved the small pox vaccination and in a lesser extent the tuberculosis vaccination have less chances of having this cancer.

    Basically someone who recieved the small pox vaccine, have 50 % less chances of getting a melanomena, and when they have one, the survey after surgical remove of the tumor is much more important.



    This work, and many others, show that the immune road, is perhaps the good one for some kind of cancers.

    Some team are trying to make a melanoma vaccination.



    At my own personal level, I am happy to have recieved the small pox vaccine. I use to think that this vaccination was worthless.




    The HBV vaccine can also be considered a "cancer vaccine" as it will prevent the development of HBV induced liver cancer. HBV infection is one of the major etiologies of liver cancer.
  • Reply 4 of 8
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by anand

    The HBV vaccine can also be considered a "cancer vaccine" as it will prevent the development of HBV induced liver cancer. HBV infection is one of the major etiologies of liver cancer.



    You are right, but it doesnt work the same way as you mentionned it.

    The important point with the small pox vaccine, is that it work by stimulating the immune system. The small pox never induced melanomena.



    It means, that by stimulating the immune system, you can decrease the number of cancer. This is a very different therapy of cancer than chimiotherapy.
  • Reply 5 of 8
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    Thats truly amazing. Mindblowing. I mean



    Quote:

    Originally posted by Powerdoc

    my medical general purpose newspaper.



    Is there newspapers in France covering medical specialties?
  • Reply 6 of 8
    There is also a specific vaccine now against cervical cancer as a result of viral infection. But this is different than the melanoma study, which I find a bit surprising.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Anders

    Is there newspapers in France covering medical specialties?



    No. Apparently there aren't any French-English dictionaries either.
  • Reply 8 of 8
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Anders

    Thats truly amazing. Mindblowing. I mean







    Is there newspapers in France covering medical specialties?




    Yes there is many of them, covering most specialties including mine. I like this newspaper, because it allow to me to update my general culture in the medical field.
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