More 'weapons' against cancer

From Russia's anti-cancer vaccine to German scientists' cold plasma rays, humans have more and more "weapons" to fight this terrible disease.

Inside a cancer vaccine research lab in France. The field of immunology is expected to create upcoming breakthroughs in cancer treatment - Photo: AFP

Since US President Richard Nixon declared a "war on cancer" in 1971, humans have been fighting this disease for decades.

However, because cancer is not one disease but a group of diseases, most progress comes not from big breakthroughs but from thousands of smaller advances in screening, surgery, and medications.

The latest is an anti-cancer vaccine and cold plasma rays that can attack hidden cancer cells, giving hope to many patients.

"Highly effective vaccine"

On September 6, the head of the Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA) Veronika Skvortsova announced at the Eastern Economic Forum that Russia's anti-cancer vaccine has successfully passed preclinical trials, proving both safety and high efficiency. FMBA is awaiting approval for clinical use by the Russian Ministry of Health .

This bold claim immediately sparked global curiosity. Built on personalized mRNA technology, the vaccine, called Enteromix, could redefine cancer treatment.

According to Ms. Skvortsova, this anti-cancer vaccine uses the same technology as the COVID-19 vaccine but is customized for each individual.

Research results show that it is 100% effective in activating immunity, shrinking tumors and slowing their growth by 60 to 80%, and has also been shown to be safe for repeated use.

The vaccine works by training the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells.

"Enteromix uses RNA extracted from a patient's own tumor cells to teach their immune system how to attack cancer," explains Yulia Mikhailova, a molecular oncologist on the research team.

As a result, it does not cause severe side effects like chemotherapy or radiation. The first versions of the vaccine will be used to fight colorectal cancer, glioblastoma - a type of brain cancer, and some types of melanoma - a form of skin cancer, according to the company.
Sputnik news.

Immunotherapy researcher Hrishikesh Menon at the Tata Memorial Center in India said mRNA technology would allow vaccines to work with surgical precision at the molecular level. He said the Russian scientists ' research was promising but that long-term effectiveness needed to be evaluated.

Russia is not the only country in the world joining this race as many biotech companies around the world - including BioNTech (Germany), Moderna (US) and CureVac - are also testing personalized mRNA cancer vaccines for tumors including pancreatic cancer, melanoma and lung cancer.

Cold plasma

German scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), in collaboration with colleagues from the University Hospital Greifswald and the University Medical Center Rostock, have demonstrated that cold plasma can successfully destroy tumor cells even in deep tissue layers.

Plasma is an ionized gas that produces large numbers of chemically active molecules, collectively known as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. These short-lived molecules can exert powerful effects on biological processes, including determining whether cancer cells survive or die.

Additionally, plasma can kill remaining cancer cells, which may help reduce the risk of recurrence after surgery.

"Our results could significantly improve the application of plasma in medicine. The better we understand which molecules are active in tissues, the more precisely plasma devices can be used for each type of cancer," said Professor Sander Bekeschus, head of the Plasma Medicine Research Program at INP.

Many achievements and breakthroughs in cancer treatment are lighting up much hope. According to experts, the survival rate of cancer patients has improved significantly over the past decade. For example, childhood leukemia (a type of blood cancer) was once considered a death sentence, but now the 5-year survival rate of this disease is over 90%.

Mr. Radheshyam Naik, Head of the Department of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Sammprada Hospital (India), said that the major breakthroughs in cancer research in recent times have been in genes and proteins.

"Immunotherapy and antibody combinations are expected to be the next breakthroughs within the next decade. Artificial intelligence (AI) can also revolutionize oncology by analyzing huge data sets, improving treatment personalization and reducing errors," he commented in the New India Express.

Leading cause of death

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide with nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, equivalent to nearly 1/6 of all deaths from the disease.

The most common cancers are breast, lung, colon, rectum, and prostate. About one-third of cancer deaths are due to smoking, being overweight, drinking alcohol, eating few fruits and vegetables, and being physically inactive. Air pollution is also a major risk factor for lung cancer.

However, many cancers can be cured if detected early and treated effectively.

TRAN PHUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/them-vu-khi-chong-ung-thu-20250908214253298.htm