Monday, July 27, 2009

A Vaccine For Colon Cancer

Colon cancer: This x-ray image shows a barium enema in a patient with cancer of the bowel. Credit: Centers for Disease Control

From Technology Review:

A new approach to preventing cancer teaches the immune system to seek and destroy emerging tumors.

A cancer vaccine with a twist is making headway in clinical trials at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Rather than targeting a cancer-related virus--the way Gardasil targets human papillomavirus to prevent some cervical cancers--the new vaccine triggers the immune system to attack a faulty protein that's often abundant in colorectal cancer tissue and precancerous tissue.

Read more ....

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