‘Groundbreaking’ cancer vaccines are available and will be offered to thousands of Britons over the next year, which could be a turning point for the treatment of the disease.
Doctors believe the treatments – which are tailor-made for each patient – will usher in a new era in cancer care.
Elliot Pfebve, a 55-year-old father-of-four, became the first patient to receive the NHS’s bowel cancer version of the vaccine, receiving his first dose at the University Hospitals of Birmingham in March.
Medics hope the shots, which use similar technology 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 their relationship to the controversial Covid jabs?
Elliot Pfebve (pictured), a 55-year-old father of four, became the first patient to receive a bowel cancer vaccine on the NHS. He received his first dose in March at Birmingham University Hospitals.
Pictured are research nurses Ria (left), Hayley (right) and Dr Victoria Kunene (centre), a medical oncologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham
The process uses genetic material – RNA – from a patient’s tumor to develop the vaccine, which is then given to patients through a series of infusions in the hospital.
Here MailOnline answers all your questions…
How do the 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 tailor-made vaccine for the patient in a laboratory.
When injected, the injection instructs the body’s cells to produce a harmless part of the tumor, which triggers a response from the immune system.
This process trains the immune system to detect this element of the cancer in the future and thus provide protection against the disease.
Traditional vaccines work on a similar principle, using 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 the cancer vaccines, called mRNA, is used in the Covid jabs.
Currently, cancer vaccines are offered in addition to standard cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.
It is not intended to be a standalone therapy or cure, at least in the near future.
What types of cancer can they treat?
Research is being conducted worldwide into various forms of cancer, including skin, colon and lung cancer.
The NHS itself has signed up for patients with melanoma, prostate cancer, head and neck cancer and bowel cancer to potentially 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 is also hope that the mRNA cancer shots may be used to treat breast, bladder and kidney cancer in the near future.
How many patients will benefit from this? Can I join?
Dozens of patients have already started receiving vaccines through the NHS through its ‘cancer vaccine launch pad’.
The healthcare industry 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 their cancer tissue and blood, will be used to assess their suitability for the trial.
The patient will still need to undergo traditional cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, before receiving the jab.
Patients will be offered the jab via a series of infusions at the nearest participating NHS site for up to 12 months after their initial treatment ends.
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What is the relationship with the mRNA Covid shots? Do they have the same side effects?
mRNA technology dates back to 2005, but it wasn’t until the Covid pandemic that mRNA vaccines became a recognizable term for most people.
Pharma giants Pfizer, working with BioNTech, and Moderna both developed mRNA Covid jabs to help banish the darkest days of the pandemic.
Millions of Britons have now received one or more of these mRNA Covid jabs, either as part of the initial rollout or during the multiple booster campaigns.
BioNTech is one of the companies involved in the development of the new cancer vaccines, including the colon cancer vaccine that Mr Pfebve received.
Numerous conspiracy theories about mRNA Covid shots are circulating online.
Some claim they alter your DNA, are part of the global depopulation conspiracy or are behind a wave of ‘sudden deaths’ or ‘turbo-cancers’.
However, none of these are considered credible by respected health experts.
However, mRNA shots, like any drug, carry a risk of adverse side effects. The best known of these, in the Covid versions, was the risk of myocarditis, a potentially dangerous inflammation of the heart muscle.
Although present, the risk has been largely exaggerated by conspiracy theorists, with most cases being mild and resolving on their own.
Experts have also highlighted that Covid infection itself can also cause myocarditis.
The exact risks of side effects from mRNA cancer vaccines have not been stated, as the shots are currently only available as part of clinical trials.
Patients will be informed of all known risks and what symptoms to look out for before receiving the vaccine.
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Are there any downsides or potential issues with the NHS rollout?
Although it is being billed as a new era in the fight against cancer, there could be potential issues with a wider rollout.
Firstly, the jabs are still in the clinical trial phase, and while the findings so far have been positive issues both in terms of safety and efficacy, there are still areas to be discovered.
Another problem is that they are much more expensive than traditional vaccines.
Standard vaccines, such as the flu and even the Covid jabs, are manufactured on a large scale to defeat a specific type of pathogen, such as a virus.
In concrete terms, this means that you will receive the same vaccine formula as every other person who rolls up their sleeve in the pharmacy or GP practice.
However, the cancer vaccines are different.
Each patient receives a specially made shot designed to target the unique genetic data of that person’s cancer.
This is a much more intensive and therefore more expensive process.
Currently the trials are funded by drug manufacturers and are therefore free to the NHS.
However, if the vaccines are approved by the NHS, they will have to undergo a cost-benefit analysis by the health service, just like any new drug.
This could theoretically limit them to certain types of cancer or certain patient groups.