Cancer Immunotherapy and the Measles Virus
Author: tiger Published Under: Health
A recent study has reported success fighting prostate cancer by injecting mice with a specific strain of the measles virus.
Led by Doctor Evanthia Galanis, scientists found that by using the MV-CEA strain of the measles, they could effectively double the survival time of mice infected with prostate cancer. 20% of the mice treated with this vaccine showed complete tumor regression present.
The researchers found that the measles virus effectively caused the prostate cancer cells to die, while still being relatively safe for the mice. Making this an even more attractive discovery is the fact that using injections, the measles virus can be easily and specifically injected into the place of cancer.
Other kinds of cancer, such as lymphoma, breast cancer, and liver cancer, were also found to be effected by the MV-CEA vaccine.
Currently there are several ongoing studies testing the effectiveness of the measles virus at fighting cancer. One such study is being held at the Mayo Clinic and is testing the effects of the measles virus (MV-CEA) against people who have recurring glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), which is a type of brain cancer.
The Mayo Clinic was also involved with Doctor Galanis’s recent study dealing with prostate cancer.
The use of the measles virus to fight cancer could develop into a very effective and safe means of treating cancer. This technique is not entirely new and there are records dating back many hundreds of years showing the effectiveness of infections at fighting cancer.
The field of study is called Cancer Immunotherapy. It refers to using a persons own immune system to fight cancer. Typically, an individual will be infected with a virus, which in turn causes the immune system to produce cells that are capable of finding and destroying cancerous cells.
While there are records that date back to the thirteenth century and before, Doctor William Coley is generally thought of as the father of Cancer Immunotherapy. Coley was born in 1862 and by 1890, he was just beginning his private practice, fresh out of medical school.
One of Coley’s first patients was a young girl who had a rapidly growing tumor in her hand. Ultimately, the cancer would spread throughout her body and the girl would die, despite Coley’s best efforts. This experience drove Coley to find a way of treating this type of cancer.
He began by researching all of the documented cases of sarcoma cancer, which was the kind that infected the girl. His research led him to several people who had become infected during treatment and subsequently had their cancer go into remission.
One man in particular, a German, who had cancer and underwent several surgeries to remove it, was declared terminal after the cancer continued to return. After his final operation, he contracted Streptococcus pyogenes, which is a common virus. He became very ill with fever and when he finally recovered, the tumor was gone. Coley was able to interview this man seven years later, confirming the complete remission of the cancer.
Overall, Coley found that surgeons had been much more successful before the use of antiseptics, when infection routinely occurred in those who were operated on. These findings led Coley to conclude that the infection and subsequent fever could be used to fight cancer.
Doctor Coley began injecting cancerous tumors with live Streptococcus. He had great success with his first patient, who went on to live 26 years before dying of a heart attack. However, further research was mixed, with some patients responding very well and some not at all.
Further, some patients were so weakened by the cancer, that the Streptococcus killed them. In an effort to reduce the severity of the infection, Coley began using dead bacteria instead of live. He created a serum, which is today called “Coley’s Toxins,” using a combination of Streptococcus pyogenes and Serratia marcescens bacteria. This was intended to still stimulate the immune system, but not be as hard on the patients.
Around the same time as Coley was experimenting with Cancer Immunotherapy, the X-Ray was invented. Scientists quickly began experimenting with using the radiation produced by the X-Ray for treating cancer.
Radiation offered much quicker results that also controlled the pain. The technology behind radiation treatment was also much easier to understand and administer in accurate repeatable doses.
Coley’s Toxins, on the other hand, had to be custom made for each patient, with many different combinations of bacterium used. The idea behind Coley’s Toxins was also never fully understood.
Eventually, radiation treatment and chemotherapy would become the de facto standard, with Coley’s work largely set aside. However, scientists and researchers worldwide have continued to experiment with Cancer Immunotherapy.
Due to federal restrictions, its use is generally restricted to only clinical studies in the United States, but the Waisbren Clinic in Wisconsin has been using Coley’s Toxins since the 1972.
Germany has also become a testing ground for the effectiveness of Cancer Immunotherapy. This is because in Germany, unapproved medicine can be created and given away, it just can’t be sold. So, these German doctors will create their own version of Coley’s Toxin and administer it to the patient.
It should be noted that while Coley’s research shows much promise, no one is certain why it works. There is much speculation, with many hypothesis, but the exact science behind it is not know.
It is important to always consult a doctor(s) before making any medical decisions.
More Information:
Wikipedia: William Coley
Wikipedia: Coleys Toxins
Wikipedia: Cancer Immunotherapy
American Cancer Society: Immunotherapy