Cuba registered the world's first therapeutic vaccine against lung cancer

[Fulanito de Tal]

http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2011/01/10/cuba-registro-la-primera-vacuna-terapeutica-del-mundo-contra-el-cancer-de-pulmon/


Cuba reported the first therapeutic vaccine for advanced lung cancer in the world, named CIMAVAX-EGF, with which they have been treated over 1 000 patients on the island, today announced the weekly "Workers."

The project leader of this vaccine in the Molecular Immunology Center (CIM) in Havana, Gisela González, explained that provides the ability to turn advanced cancer in a "manageable chronic disease."

CIMAVAX-EGF is the result of over fifteen years of research, is directed toward the system related to the tumor and does not cause severe side effects, said the specialist.

"It's based on a protein that we all have: the epidermal growth factor, related to the processes of cell proliferation, that when there are cancer control", he said.

Gonzalez said that as the body tolerate "self" and react against "strange", so had to make "a composition that achieves generate antibodies against this protein."

This vaccine is given at the time in which the patient finds treatment with radiotherapy or chemotherapy and is considered "terminal without alternative therapy" because it helps "control the growth of the tumor without associated toxicity, he said.

It can also be used as a treatment "chronic increases expectations and quality of life for patients."

The researcher noted that after reaching its record in Cuba, now CIMAVAX-EGF "progress" in other countries and assesses how to use its inception in therapies against other tumors such as prostate, uterus and breast.

*translated from Spanish to English with Google Chrome.

[Quail]

Sounds like a really good development. Hopefully they'll find a way of using it for other cancers and it will become widely available.

[Political_Chucky]

holyshit yes. Maybe I won't die from smoking too many cigs :o

[RedSonRising]

This is an amazing step forward in medicine and means a lot to the world as well as leftists. It never ceases to amaze me that under the international isolation and limited productive capability of the island, the people functioning within Cuba's economic plan are able to put forth such valuable and useful advancements, particularly in the field of medicine. Hopefully this becomes globally accessible.

Damn, turning advanced lung cancer into a treatable chronic illness?

Cuban Socialism: dropping cappie jaws since 1959.

[TC]

...when i googled for this i can find stories as recent as 4 hours ago on Xinhu but as old as two years ago on The Guardian...what is up with that? I have a relative with terminal lung cancer and would like to know if this this something viable that might be unknown to mainstream doctors in the west.

[The Vegan Marxist]

Yeah, this is definitely a great leap forward for all people, not just leftists. But I, like TC, am curious as to why I can find similar articles to that of this recent 2011 article to ones that are from 2008 to 2009. What's the deal with that?

[Spawn of Stalin]

Hard to believe that while Cuban doctors and scientists are curing cancers with tax money, some of us in the civilised world still have to pay megabucks to get a broken arm fixed up.

[Sentinel]

Simply awesome, I'm speechless.. I've started an OI discussion (http://www.revleft.com/vb/medical-breakthrough-lung-t147970/index.html?p=1985047#post1985047) on this, will be interesting to hear what the reactionaries have to say about this latest advance of socialist science, hehe. :)

[Tavarisch_Mike]

Que linda Cuba es!!!

Que Viva!!!

[Broletariat]

slightly off-topic but does anyone have the link to the online cuban discussion forums? I can't seem to find it.

[RedSonRising]

I'm curious-and hopeful-as to whether or not this will be administered through medical aid to disadvantaged populations from time to time. This will eventually reach the global market within healthcare systems and do some good, but as we all know, this route will still leave many without access as well. Since Cuba is well known for their free medical aid during disasters and such, it would be great to see them coordinate with third world communities and other revolutionary organizations to form a network wherever this medicine is needed.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Can someone provide some more info on this? Are they saying, that they have, in effect, found a vaccine that protects against lung cancer? If so, that is a remarkable step forward for mankind. I'm quite proud of Cuba for this. This really is stunning, if it is what it seems.

[Sentinel]

Can someone provide some more info on this? Are they saying, that they have, in effect, found a vaccine that protects against lung cancer? If so, that is a remarkable step forward for mankind. I'm quite proud of Cuba for this. This really is stunning, if it is what it seems.As I've understood it it doesn't actually prevent it, but once one has been diagnosed it can be used to prevent the tumor from growing further. And so one can live with it for a longer period, much like many people do with Diabetes, Aids and so.

[The Vegan Marxist]

As I've understood it it doesn't actually prevent it, but once one has been diagnosed it can be used to prevent the tumor from growing further. And so one can live with it for a longer period, much like many people do with Diabetes, Aids and so.

Either way, this is a great step for humankind! ^_^

"North Americans don't understand... that our country is not just Cuba; our country is also humanity." ~Fidel Castro

[Red Future]

VIVA CUBA !!:cool:

[apawllo]

Looking around, there was an article from 2008 suggesting that this discovery was made prior to then, and that Cuba was registering the drug at that point. Apparently some South American countries are registering the drug now, and it's undergoing experimental trial in China. One article said that a university in the US developed its own version last year. This of course 2 or more years after the Cuban discovery. I suppose if a different variant of the drug is developed embargo issues can be avoided or something...

[The American]

How long do you think it will take for the US to claim discovery of this drug and or lift the embargo to take advantage of the vaccine?

[Luisrah]

How long do you think it will take for the US to claim discovery of this drug and or lift the embargo to take advantage of the vaccine?

Sadly, you may be correct, and we will be saying in some time ''It was discovered in Cuba! Not America!'' ''Yeah, right''

This shows how socialist tendencies (wether you think Cuba is socialist or not) have the welfare of everyone at heart.

[IndependentCitizen]

Yeah, but nationalised healthcare is incredibly wrong.
Well done, Cuba - the world should follow your lantern

[Rusty Shackleford]

its starting to find its way into western press.

Cuba has registered in Peru what it claims is the world’s first lung cancer vaccine and is registering it in other South American countries.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/images/cp.gif The vaccine, called CIMAVAX-EGF, was first registered in 2008 in Cuba, where it was developed 15 years ago. More than a thousand Cuban patients were successfully treated by the vaccine, according to Gisela González, medical researcher from the Immunologic Molecular Center (CIM) in Havana.
Gonzalez describes CIMAVAX-EGF as derived from a protein produced by lung cancer. She said it is safe because patients who received the vaccine felt no side effects.
The vaccine prolongs a patient’s life after chemotherapy or radiotherapy by preventing cancer from returning.
Aside from registering the vaccine in Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Argentina, it will undergo experimental trial in China, said Gonzalez. She added that CIMAVAX-EGF is being tested in treating breast, prostate and uterus cancer.
Last year, researchers at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center were reported to have discovered a similar vaccine that is being tested on lung cancer patients worldwide.


Read more: http://dev.allheadlinenews.com/briefs/articles/90030471?Cuba%20registering%20first%20lung%20cance r%20vaccine%20in%20South%20America#ixzz1AmCBYd2B



of course they had to claim that the us discovered a similar vaccine a year earlier.

[Tomhet]

Great news!
All major medical breakthroughs are a true benefit to all of mankind..

[Iraultzaile Ezkerreko]

its starting to find its way into western press.


of course they had to claim that the us discovered a similar vaccine a year earlier.
Actually, they said "a year ago", which would mean that they - tacitly - admit that Cuba invented it first. In fact, the article states that Cuba first manufactured it and began treatment fifteen years ago. Maybe the bourgeois press isn't as useless as we thought.

[superborys]

We've all got this entirely wrong. They're REGISTERING it now, they developed it in 1995-1996. Even if it was discovered in the US a year earlier, that would still put their discovery in either 2007 or 2009-2010, still lagging a decade or more behind Cuba.

Apparently Cuba is also the only country in the world that has sustainable development, according to the WWF. So maybe dictatorial socialism isn't so terrible. It's effectively beaten cancer.

[Tomhet]

Yeah how exactly has it "effectively beaten cancer"?

[superborys]

It has made it a manageable illness. Diabetes isn't cured but we don't consider it some horribly feared, life-challenging circumstance, do we? We have medication that makes it quite treatable and people who have diabetes now live lives nearly identical to their previous ones. If this does what it says it does, it would make people with lung cancer similar. Do you confide with your best friends when your mom gets diabetes like you do if she were to get cancer?

[TC]

It has made it a manageable illness. Diabetes isn't cured but we don't consider it some horribly feared, life-challenging circumstance, do we? We have medication that makes it quite treatable and people who have diabetes now live lives nearly identical to their previous ones. If this does what it says it does, it would make people with lung cancer similar. Do you confide with your best friends when your mom gets diabetes like you do if she were to get cancer?

Lots of cancers are seriously curable or have good long term survival rates - and diabetes can range from something that can be managed just with diet, to something requiring frequent medication and testing, to something that leads to loss of limbs, blindness and death. Diabetes still leads to cardiac, renal, and nervous system failure and death and remains I believe the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. Diabetes is really very serious.

[Geiseric]

This isn't going to be distributed into western countries imho for fre or for a small price, because i'm sure they already have one for cancer, AIDS, herpes, and every other deadly disease, however they're not going to release it because mdeicine is a business and they need to pull a profit. However great job cuba, this is awesome.

[superborys]

Perhaps if it's not treated correctly, but if I recall correctly diabetes is only a problem of insulin production, either too high or too low.

Apparently accidents leads diabetes in 4th and Alzheimer's in 5th, with diabetes only just beating out the flu. Diabetes killed about 70,000 people in 2007, whereas cancer killed 560,000. For every person who dies to diabetes, 8 die from cancer. I would say that in the scheme of things diabetes is managed.

But this isn't a pissing contest. This is about Cuba's lung cancer vaccine. This is a whole lot more effective than bacteria-synthesized insulin or hepatic injections. If utilized properly, this vaccine could cure someone of cancer. Inject to stop it from metastasizing, then a series of medications to force what's already present into remission.

And anyway, if other people consider diabetes terrible and life-threatening I don't know them. I've known plenty of diabetics and none of them have ever complained of how woeful and terrible their lives have become, whereas I know someone who is dealing with cancer now and he's been fighting it for 2 years and still has no hair because every time they think it's over and done with he goes back for another round of chemo. I would say he had it worse than my diabetic dog did, who lived to be 11 (coupled with horrible obesity and cancer I would say 11 is a good age).

Anyway, let's all get off our high horses, this isn't about seeing who can prove the other one wrong and it's not about getting our feelings hurt. I said something I thought most people agreed with which apparently most people don't, so shoot me. I mean, we all have ideals that most people don't agree with, don't we?