I didn’t read the article. Isn’t a vaccine meant to protect against, not specifically treat, something.
I didn’t read that article either, fuck their cookies… This press release from the NHS says treatment and doesn’t mention vaccine. I guess it’s a bad headline.
I mean, there are vaccines like the BCG that actually treats bladder cancer, so technically it could be true. I just want to know what exactly they mean here.
My understanding is that a vaccine allows your immune system to create antibodies that fight off disease or infection. Some types of vaccines cannot be given while you have symptoms, but some can. It’s possible that whatever benefits the vaccine offers are part of a treatment that aims to eradicate the cancer over time (similar to chemotherapy or possibly in tandem).
Let it be known that I am not a medical professional and this is just what I’ve picked up as a random guy.
I’m not sure exactly how this should be classed. According to the article it deactivates part of the cancer cells which then allows the patients own immune system to attack and destroy them.
So it isn’t really a treatment as it doesn’t destroy the cancer itself. The patient’s own immune system does that.
However a vaccine technically works by providing the immune system with the “blueprint” of the disease so the immune system knows how to destroy it if infected. Which isn’t what this is doing.
I suspect it probably has a long scientific name that average people won’t understand and makes for a crap headline.
