Vaccines Provide Hope for Colorectal Cancer Treatment and Prevention

More than 1.2 million cases of colon cancer are diagnosed worldwide each year with over 529,000 deaths, which demonstrates a substantial medical need. In the United States alone, colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer, accounting for approximately 50,000 deaths and approximately 20% of all deaths from cancer.

Most new cases of colon cancer require surgery for removal of tumors followed by chemotherapy to prevent recurrences. A vaccine that eliminates cancer recurrences without the side effects and with a better survival rate will be very beneficial to patients after colorectal cancer surgery. Past attempts to find cancer vaccines failed because scientists had a rudimentary understanding of the molecular mechanics of the immune system and cancer cells. However, patients will soon benefit from advances in DNA profiling and the emerging field of pharmacogenomics.

"Pharmacogenomics will lead to tailored treatments based on a tumor's specific genetic profile, which will allow physicians to treat tumors based on their genetic make-up rather than their location," noted Kalorama Information analyst Melissa Elder. "One such tailored treatment is OncoVAX, offered by Vaccinogen [Frederick, MD, USA] to treat colorectal cancer."

Several colorectal cancer vaccines are in development, including TroVAX, Avicine, and Oncophage in phase II studies, but the closest to market is OncoVAX. Currently in phase III development, OncoVAX is an active-specific immunotherapeutic for the post-surgical treatment of patients diagnosed with stage II colon cancer. It is prepared using the patient's own surgically removed tumor, which is enzymatically treated, frozen, and irradiated to render the cells non-tumorogenic.

Kalorama Information provides the latest in independent market research in the life sciences, as well as a full range of custom research services.

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