2024-08-26 22:05:30
Lung cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. A German vaccine is now intended to combat this type of tumor. The first patient has begun treatment.
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death. Worldwide, around 1.8 million people die of it every year. In Germany, there are around 44,000 patients. Advanced diseases in particular leave little hope for those affected. The five-year survival rate for this type of cancer is very low: around 25 percent for women and 19 percent for men. But with a new treatment method, this could change.
The world’s first clinical trial with a vaccine against lung cancer was recently launched. The drug comes from the German company Biontech. A total of 130 cancer patients in seven countries (Great Britain, USA, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain and Turkey) are to be treated with the mRNA vaccine, including people in the early stages before surgery or radiotherapy, but also people in the late stages or with recurrent cancer.
The first patient and study participant is Janusz Racz from London. A tumor in his right lung was discovered by chance on May 1, 2024 – he initially thought his breathing problems were asthma.
Without treatment, the doctors gave the 67-year-old four to five months to live. Racz underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy – but according to the doctors, his five-year survival rate is only 35 percent. “The chemotherapy was particularly exhausting, I don’t want to have to do it again,” Racz told the British newspaper “The Guardian.” He continued: “The first good news came when the doctors told me that my tumor was shrinking faster than expected.” At this point, Dr. Sarah Benafif from the University College London Hospital (UCLH) spoke to him about a new study – a vaccination against lung cancer.
After Racz weighed the pros and cons with his doctor and family, the cancer patient agreed to test the new vaccine. He was then the first study participant to receive six vaccinations, each five minutes apart – each containing different RNA strands for different surface characteristics of the cancer cells.
He will receive the six injections weekly for six weeks. This will be followed by a treatment phase of 54 weeks with injections every three weeks. The doctors hope that the mRNA vaccinations, in addition to immunotherapy, will further improve the patient’s survival rate and prevent the cancer from recurring. This is because relapses often occur in lung cancer patients even after surgery and radiation.
“I decided to take part in the study because I hope it will provide protection against cancer cells. But I also thought that my participation in this research could help other people in the future and help make this therapy more widely available,” Racz told the British newspaper.