This article titled “F.D.A. Approves ‘Vaccine’ to Fight Prostate Cancer” was written by Andrew Pollack and appeared in the New York Times on April 29, 2010 and is available at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/health/30drug.html?ref=health
The article discusses a new vaccine to treat prostate cancer in men. However, the treatment is not a vaccine in the typical sense of the word. It is not administered as a preventative measure. Pollack writes, “Provenge is not a preventive vaccine like those for measles, hepatitis, or even the new ones for cervical cancer which prevent a viral infection that causes the cancer. Rather, it is a so-called therapeutic vaccine, used after prostate cancer has already been diagnosed.” Instead, the vaccine is given to a patient already affected by prostate cancer, and trains the immune system to locate and destroy the cells causing the cancerous tumors. There has been a good deal of controversy surrounding the treatment, as the FDA rejected it for approval a few years ago. However, the drug is widely anticipated in the oncology world, as it increases the life expectancy of prostate cancer patients while also subjecting them to fewer side effects than the only drug previously available.
The drug is effective in destroying cancerous cells, as it is made especially for each patient. White blood cells from the patients are combined with a protein found on the cancerous tumors. When this vaccine is injected into the patients, the white blood cells can hunt down the cancerous cells and attack the tumors. In more simple terms, the vaccine is training the body’s immune system to search for and destroy cancerous cells throughout the patient’s body.
I think that the Provenge vaccine is an important medical breakthrough, as it provides a longer life expectancy for prostate cancer patients. In addition, it is basically the first cancer vaccine of its kind, which will hopefully start a trend for creating more cancer treatments like it. In fact, Dendreon, the company that created Provenge, says that they hope to create more vaccines like Provenge, starting with a treatment for bladder cancer. This article certainly connects to our immunology unit in EpiD, because the author discusses training the body’s immune system (namely white blood cells) to fight off an existing cancer condition in patients.
There are also similarities with our recent discussions of Paul Farmer. Dendreon is charging for Provenge based on life expectancy after treatment, for almost a hundred thousand dollars. People in America complain about the prices, but will probably pay anyway. People in Haiti cannot have something like this unless Farmer reappropriates some for the poor, whether out of his own pocket or through great cajoling. Also, Provenge is an individualized treatment, tailored for each patient who receives it, and thus is more personal and more effective. It does not come close too the level of personalization that Farmer makes in his work (for no additional cost), but it is an encouraging feature.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how this article related a lot to our class. I found immunology to be very interesting. Also, I really liked Eric's connection to "Mountains Beyond Mountains". Hopefully in the near future, the price per vaccine will lower significantly because that is a lot of money and I'm sure there are many people who cannot afford it at all, even in the U.S. This is a great breakthrough in modern medicine. Like both Emily and the article said, this discovery, i'm sure, can lead to aid for other untreatable cancers.
ReplyDeleteThis article was really interesting and I find this new vaccine to be very helpful to many people. I think that this vaccine could save a lot of people and help many people once they realize they have cancer. I agree with what Eric said about Mountains Beyond Mountains. I hope that prices will decline per vaccine because even more people can be saved, rather than just wealthy people that can afford vaccines. I do wonder how long this vaccine takes to make because it is made for each patient.
ReplyDeleteI found this article very interesting and surprising because I had never heard of a vaccine that could treat cancer once it had been diagnosed. It is so amazing that researchers could come up with an effective vaccine that is not simply preventative. I hope that there will be many more like it because that would save so many peoples' lives and give them a fighting chance against cancer.
ReplyDeletethis was a good artilce becuase it realtets to our class's discussions. its the new idea that vaccinces can give u immunity towards cancer.
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