Therapeutic cancer vaccines target recurrence, not initial cancer: Medical expert

Kochi, Sept 14: New cancer vaccines are being developed not to prevent the onset of cancer in healthy individuals but to stop its recurrence in those who have already undergone treatment, a medical expert has clarified.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the second annual conference of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Society (GIOS) on Saturday, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, convener of the Research Cell at Kerala State IMA and chairman of the scientific committee at IMA Cochin, explained that these are therapeutic cancer vaccines.

“These are designed to prevent recurrence of the disease in people who already had cancer, not for its prevention in healthy people,” he said in a statement, stressing that the vaccines fall under immunotherapy, specifically individualised neoantigen therapy, which trains the body’s immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells.

Jayadevan also cautioned against the modern problem of “information overload and under thinking” in the context of medical innovation.

This year’s three-day conference focuses on colorectal cancers (CRC), whose incidence is rising worldwide. Over 200 oncologists, gastroenterologists and medical professionals are attending to discuss the latest in prevention, screening and treatment.

Dr Arun R Warrier, organising secretary, highlighted the shift towards tailored medical care. “Cancer treatment is rapidly changing, and what we have to do for patients is make it personalised for each individual,” he said.

The programme includes workshops on surgical, radiation and genomic aspects of CRC, as well as a special session on non-operative management, featuring contributions from leading national and international faculty.

PTI