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Life-saving new jab against world’s deadliest cancer could ‘cure’ half of all patients and one day eliminate the disease
A NEW vaccine could cure up to half of all pancreatic cancer cases and may one day wipe out the disease entirely, scientists say.
Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest cancer in the world.
Some 10,500 people are diagnosed with the disease in the UK each year.
And only about seven out of 100 of them will survive it for five years or more, according to Cancer Research UK.
This is partly because it shows no symptoms until it has already spread to other parts of the body, making it incredibly hard to treat.
While surgery, chemotherapy and radiation can help extend life, they rarely offer a cure.
Now, researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic, both in the US, have developed a new type of jab to fight pancreatic cancer.
This vaccine uses tiny particles called nanoparticles to train the body’s immune system to find and kill ‘bad’ cancer cells.
In early tests with animals and lab models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common and aggressive type of pancreatic cancer, more than half of the treated patients were completely cancer-free months after getting the vaccine.
“Pancreatic cancer is super aggressive,” said Professor Zheng-Rong (ZR) Lu, a biomedical engineer at Case School of Engineering, who has been working on the jab.
“So it came as a surprise that our approach works so well.”
The vaccine also encourages the body to create its own T cells, immune fighters specially trained to attack cancer, while building up ‘immune memory’ for longer-term protection.
Unlike some treatments made just for one person, this vaccine could work for many patients with this type of cancer, the experts said.
The exact cause of pancreatic cancer is not always known, but about one in 10 cases of the disease are thought to be caused by genes that increase a person’s risk of developing the cancer.
The scientists believe the jab could even be used as a preventive for people at high risk of pancreatic cancer, such as those with inherited gene mutations linked to the disease.
“We’ve shown that our vaccine generated immune memory in preclinical models,” said Professor Zheng-Rong.
“If we could do that in patients, we could prevent PDAC before tumors start forming, so the vaccines could be either therapeutic or preventative.”
The researchers hope to move towards human clinical trials, once further safety studies in animal models are completed.
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer
PANCREATIC cancer doesn't always cause symptoms in its early stages.
As the cancer grows and you do begin to show signs, these may come and go and be unspecific, making it hard to diagnose, according to Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Common symptoms include:
- Indigestion – a painful, burning feeling in your chest with an unpleasant taste in your mouth
- Tummy or back pain – it may start as general discomfort or tenderness in the tummy area and spread to the back, which get worse lying down and feel better is you sit forward
- Diarrhoea and constipation – see a GP if you have runny poos for more than seven days, especially if you’ve lost weight as well
- Steatorrhoea – pale, oily poo that’s bulky, smells horrible and floats, making it hard to flush
- Losing a lot of weight without meaning to
- Jaundice – yellow skin and eyes, as well as dark pee, pale poo and itchy skin
Warning over Dubai chocolate as food safety experts say trendy treat could be deadly
A WARNING has been issued for Dubai-style chocolate products over concerns for customer health.
The FSA issued a warning on June 12 urging customers to remain cautious when purchasing the trendy chocolate product.
It comes after the watchdog identified a number of products that pose a health risk to customers with allergies.
Imported products may not be intended for sale within the UK and might not comply with UK labelling laws, meaning allergens might not be accurately labelled.
Other products may contain additives and colours which are banned in the UK market.
An investigation is underway as the FSA is surveying and sampling the products to work out how widespread the issue is.
They are also working alongside allergy charities to raise awareness of the risks to customer health.
While they reported that “most” of the Dubai-style chocolates available in UK shops was safe, customers are asked to remain vigilant and to report any concerns to your local authority.
Professor Robin May, chief scientific advisor to the FSA, said: “The vast majority of food in the UK is safe, but some imported Dubai-style chocolate products don’t meet our standards and could be a food safety risk, especially for consumers with allergies.
“If you are looking to buy Dubai-style chocolate, we advise sticking with trusted retailers, like the ones you’d use for your weekly shop, as products are more likely to be made for UK consumers and so are safe to eat.”
This advice is particularly important for customers with food allergies or intolerances, as Robin went on to say: “we advise you do not buy the product unless you’re certain it’s intended for sale here.”
Customers that are concerned about specific products are advised not to buy it, and to report it to the local authorities so that it can be removed from sale “as swiftly as possible” if it fails to meet the FSA’s standards.
If you have already purchased a product that you’re unsure of, customers are advised not to eat it.
In order to comply with UK regulations, food labels must highlight any of the 14 allergens present in the product.
Customers can look for certain information to check whether a product is UK legal compliant.
This includes a clearly labelled English description with the following information:
- The name of the food e.g. milk chocolate with pistachio paste filling;
- A list of ingredients, with allergens emphasised;
- The weight of the food in grams;
- A best before or use by date;
- The name and address of the UK or EU business responsible for the product information. If the food is not from the UK or EU, the name and address of the importer must be included
Pistachios already present a risk to some customers, with tree nut allergies affecting 0.5% of the adult population.
Symptoms of a tree nut allergy usually occur within minutes but can take up to two hours.
Some people could suffer from severe allergies that result in life-threatening anaphylaxis so it is important to be informed on the foods you’re consuming.
Labels should highlight if an item contains a tree nut, as well as including precautionary labelling like “may contain” to adequately inform customers.
For more information on food allergens and how to stay safe, consumers should visit food.gov.uk
