The Food and Drug Administration has given approval to the Dendreon Provenge, a prostate cancer treatment. The drug is the first anti-cancer vaccine to get FDA approval. The drug was found to prolong the life of cancer patients by a median four months. This type of vaccine is in its early stages of development and takes lots of money now to get treated with it. .
Dendreon Provenge study results
According to WebMD, the results of the Dendreon Provenge study, done by researchers unaffiliated with the business, found that patients suffering from prostate cancer lived a median of 4.1 months longer than those who received the placebo. Follow up studies indicated that 32 percent of Provenge treated subjects remained alive 3 years after treatment, in contrast to just 23 percent of subjects that received the placebo.
Not like a simple ordinary flu shot
Provenge is a process, not just a shot. Immune cells are harvested, and then transported to Dendreon laboratories. The cells are treated with Provenge, and once ready, re-injected into the patient. It alters immune system responses to cancer cells, and any cancerous cells mistaken to be normal would not be anymore. So far, it is not expected to be cheap, at all. The treatment will cost $ 40,000 to $ 100,000.
Kind of a breakthrough
Dendreon Provenge will slow cancer, but not cure or prevent it. There isn’t a complete cure for all cancer, but this is a step in that direction. So far, the only vaccine is for certain kinds of human papillomavirus which can cause cervical cancer. This can be a huge step towards further breakthroughs. Perhaps the next generation could be the one that cures cancer.
Resources for the article
WebMD
http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/news/20100429/fda-oks-provenge-prostate-cancer-therapy
