The first known record of cancer dates back to 5,000 years ago when it was first documented in Egypt. Cancer that was discovered in Egypt was described as tumors in the breast and ever since its inception, the curiosity that ran through people’s minds at the time was how this started in the body.
Long ago in 460 BCE Greece, Hippocrates believed that four main liquids dictated the health and well-being of the body, commonly known as the 4 humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. The belief at the time was that too much black bile in specific parts of the body was the cause of cancer, this theory was believed as fact by everyone for the next 1,400 years.
Fast forwarding to the present day, people are now aware that there are a multitude of factors that cause cancer, factors such as genetics, diet, environmental impacts and lifestyle choices are believed to be among the main root causes of cancer. Given that cancer is a condition that has been around for centuries, many remedies and medications have been proposed for treating cancer and have become available and gained popularity from time to time, however, a vaccine offering a one-stop cure is yet to be created.
Recently, word has spread about vaccines making this a possibility being right around the corner—towards the year 2030. Creating a vaccine for cancer could revolutionize the medical industry as cancer has been one of the toughest medical conditions to defeat with it requiring lengthy and often painful treatments.
Many pharmaceutical companies dream of finding the holy grail in modern medicine by creating an effective vaccine for cancer, eradicating the near-incurable disease.
Moderna, one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world has made a bold statement saying that they hope to offer a vaccine for cancer by the year 2030. It raises questions in many minds as to how this may be possible after many uneventful decades spent trying to create a vaccine. Moderna mentions that advancements made by them in mRNA technology have shown marvelous potential outside the realm of infectious diseases. mRNA technology which is perfected by Moderna would teach human cells to produce a protein that instigates an immune response against certain diseases. It is through using this method that Moderna hopes to create a vaccine that can be altered to fight a specific type of tumor. Through the initial stages, it is safe to assume that not all types of cancer will be able to be treatable through this but it will definitely be a notable step forward in modern medicine.
The NHS being the universal health care service in the UK has also announced a partnership with BioNTech, the German pharmaceutical giant. BioNTech has already begun testing personalized cancer vaccines in the UK, moreover, the number of individuals with access to this testing will drastically increase in the year 2026. The treatment that has begun is hoped to target common abnormalities in different types of cancer. These trials which have been launched also aim to see progress made in the creation of new potential therapies for people. A goal of introducing this treatment to 10,000 cancer patients by 2023 has been agreed to between the UK government and BioNTech. The progress they hope to achieve with these patients should give them enough data to determine if this treatment will become successful by 2030. If there is a promising possibility for success indicated through these trials, BioNTech states that this treatment could become standard care for patients in both the early stages as well as late stages of cancer.
A heated competition to become the first to invent the cancer-cure vaccine has been initiated by the leading pharmaceutical companies globally with the aim of achieving tangible progress by the year 2030. It can be said that this healthy competition between the top-tier pharmaceutical companies can help benefit society, by achieving rapid progress. At present, the progress indicated through clinical trials depicts improvements being made at a slow rate. This slowness of results could be due to many advancements that aim to address the situation of cancer patients being hindered by economic challenges.
The clinical trials that are currently ongoing are assured to be generally safe for patients to participate however, there are fears the toll taken on the body makes it weaker as well. It is through the results of the upcoming trials that we will understand if the treatment will help improve not only the patient’s health but also the potential side effects of the treatment on the body, having the best possible outcome can never be assured with any new technology. However, in order to see improvements in the medical field, trials can give people the confidence that progress is being made toward a better future.
An effective vaccine for cancer has the potential to save millions of lives. As days pass by, the deaths caused by cancer still continue to increase. When a person is diagnosed with any form of cancer “the likelihood of death” is the first thing that comes to the mind of many people. The percentage of people who have been cured of cancer is significantly lower when compared to the number of deaths.
Complete treatment for cancer has never been considered as a guarantee but as an option that has a lot of potential to help the body manage the condition and recover as well. The process participants go through with the trials could always involve complications and lead to side effects along the way, but positive results and technological progress keep the spark alive. With a possible vaccine on the way, hope will be raised to new heights not just in the minds of the many individuals who suffer from this condition but also their families, friends and the global community in general. The road taken thus far to create a vaccine for cancer may have been a long one with many roadblocks but with promising progress, we are a step closer to the outcome we want to achieve at the end of this journey in our near future.
(Jonathan Ferreira)