Vaccines For Cancer

There are only two vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of cancer...so far. There is a vaccine that has been approved to prevent infection with the human papillomavirus virus (HPV). HPV is known to cause most cases of cervical cancer. There is also a vaccine that prevents infection with the hepatitis B virus. The hepatitis B virus is known to cause many cases of liver cancer.

There are more than 300 types of cancer, and so far we have only two vaccines; but it is a start. For years, the treatment of cancer (after the fact, so to speak) was the focus of most research, and there has been a lot of progress in treating cancer with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. The credit for every bit of the progress that has been made in cancer treatment goes to researchers and scientists who dedicate their lives to learning more and finding new treatments. This progress was made in laboratories as well through clinical trials of new drugs and new procedures. Now the focus has broadened to include the idea of prevention through the use of vaccines.

Researchers and scientists have learned a lot more over the years about how the body fights cancer on its own. The body has a built-in defense system that is called the immune system. The human immune system is really amazing. It's a network of specialized tissues and cells that fight disease. The idea of vaccines to prevent diseases of all kinds is to make use of the body's natural defense system - the immune system. Vaccines are called "biological" therapies - a kind of germ warfare to prevent diseases in the human body.

Vaccines for cancer will be developed in laboratories and through clinical trials just like treatments have been developed. There isn't likely to be an announcement on the evening news that a vaccine has been developed that totally prevents all kinds of cancer, but the researchers are out there looking for it. Maybe someday...