"It is important to understand that this is not a panacea. After reading the headlines in the press, some people think that this is a miracle cure that can cure everything. However, this is not the case.
The vaccine will only be effective against certain types of cancer for which immunotherapy is indicated. There are currently clinical guidelines that indicate where and when immunotherapy can be used.
For now, this is a limited list of diseases, such as melanoma. In the future, it may include lung cancer, some types of gastrointestinal cancer, and possibly kidney cancer. "
"For a vaccine to be effective, a significant number of changes in the tumor genome are needed, for example, hundreds. From these, 20-30 of the most effective mutations, so-called neoantigens, can be selected, which will allow the immune system to be trained to recognize and attack the tumor.
If a patient has few changes in the tumor genome, the vaccine may not be effective. This is because there are few differences from normal tissue, and the immune system may not recognize the tumor as a threat."
"When choosing a vaccine-based therapy, we will focus on patients who are likely to respond positively to the treatment. In addition, the state of the person’s immune system and how it interacts with the tumor plays an important role. In some cases, additional methods may be needed, such as checkpoint inhibitor therapy or the use of antibodies that help the immune system recognize and attack the tumor."
"For example, in one study, the median relapse was 13 months. Many patients who responded to vaccine immunotherapy had a median of over 24 months. And that's just the observation period. It's probably longer. That's a pretty significant extension. The response to vaccine immunotherapy is about twice as strong as checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy alone."
Some specific bits:
"It is important to understand that this is not a panacea. After reading the headlines in the press, some people think that this is a miracle cure that can cure everything. However, this is not the case.
The vaccine will only be effective against certain types of cancer for which immunotherapy is indicated. There are currently clinical guidelines that indicate where and when immunotherapy can be used.
For now, this is a limited list of diseases, such as melanoma. In the future, it may include lung cancer, some types of gastrointestinal cancer, and possibly kidney cancer. "
"For a vaccine to be effective, a significant number of changes in the tumor genome are needed, for example, hundreds. From these, 20-30 of the most effective mutations, so-called neoantigens, can be selected, which will allow the immune system to be trained to recognize and attack the tumor.
If a patient has few changes in the tumor genome, the vaccine may not be effective. This is because there are few differences from normal tissue, and the immune system may not recognize the tumor as a threat."
"When choosing a vaccine-based therapy, we will focus on patients who are likely to respond positively to the treatment. In addition, the state of the person’s immune system and how it interacts with the tumor plays an important role. In some cases, additional methods may be needed, such as checkpoint inhibitor therapy or the use of antibodies that help the immune system recognize and attack the tumor."
"For example, in one study, the median relapse was 13 months. Many patients who responded to vaccine immunotherapy had a median of over 24 months. And that's just the observation period. It's probably longer. That's a pretty significant extension. The response to vaccine immunotherapy is about twice as strong as checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy alone."