Kumar Bahukhandi
Vaccine is coming to prevent cancer – Photo:channel24india.com
In the year 2023, around one crore people died of cancer worldwide. This figure is enough to show the seriousness of this disease. However, now British scientists are working towards making a vaccine that can prevent this deadly disease not one or two but 20 years in advance.
World Cancer Day 2025: Cancer has been a cause of serious concern for health globally. Every year millions of people are dying due to this disease. According to the data of the year 2023, about 9.6 to 10 million (96 lakh to one crore) people have died of cancer worldwide. This is equivalent to about 26,300 deaths every day due to cancer. This figure is enough to show the seriousness of this disease. World Cancer Day is celebrated every year on 4 February with the aim of raising awareness about the increasing risks of cancer worldwide and encouraging its prevention, identification and treatment.
Due to innovation in the medical field and increased awareness among the people, timely diagnosis and treatment of cancer has definitely become easier than before, although cancer is still another name for fear for most people.
A news coming out amidst the risks of cancer is relieving. British scientists are working towards creating a vaccine that can prevent this deadly disease not one or two but 20 years in advance. Recent reports suggest that scientists are on the verge of achieving a major medical breakthrough with a new ‘cancer vaccine’.
Cancer risk and prevention – Photo: Adobe stock photos
Vaccine can prevent the disease 20 years in advance
Scientists from the University of Oxford, along with pharmaceutical giant GSK, are working towards creating a vaccine that can detect ‘unknown cancer’ cells in the body. Not only this, it is being claimed that this vaccine can prevent the disease 20 years before it develops.
Scientists say that this vaccine can target cancer cells in the pre-cancer stage and eliminate them.
Sarah Blagden, Professor of Oncology at the University of Oxford, shared information about this vaccine in a conversation with a local radio.
Cancer Risk Factors – Photo : Freepik.com
It takes about two decades for cancer to develop in the body
Professor Sarah says, we all always think that it takes about one or two years for cancer to develop in the body, but in fact now many studies confirm that cancer can take up to 20 years to develop, sometimes even more. This is because it takes a lot of time for a normal cell to become a cancer cell.
We know that most cancers are invisible during this time period, when cancer cells are going through this stage, it is called the pre-cancer stage. Therefore, the purpose of this vaccine is not to vaccinate against cancer, but to actually detect and eliminate cancer in the pre-cancer stage itself.
Development of cancer in the body (symbolic) – Photo: Freepik.com
What do experts say?
Professor Blagden says the GSK-Oxford Cancer Immuno-Prevention Programme has been launched on the back of a number of technological and scientific advances that have given hope to the possibility of a vaccine against pre-cancer. We are lucky because we have had a lot of technological breakthroughs which mean we are now able to detect things that would normally go undetected.
So far we have been able to work out what characteristics cells have that lead to cancer, so we can stop it by designing a vaccine that is specifically targeted in that direction.
This vaccine will reduce the risk of cancer – Photo: Freepik.com
Cancer vaccine has already been developed
According to local media reports, GSK will invest £50 million (about Rs 538 crore) over three years for this vaccine manufacturing program. It is worth noting that researchers have already identified tumor specific proteins, which can be prevented by vaccine. These reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. In this new research, work is being done on the goal of stopping cancer before it spreads.
Experts say that if the clinical trials of this vaccine are successful and this vaccine works as expected, then defeating cancer can become very easy in the coming years. Information about how long it will take to develop this vaccine is not available right now
Sources and references
Cancer vaccine being created by UK scientists could stop disease up to 20 years early
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