South Journal (by Permission)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
While the World Health Organization (WHO) is now reporting that tobacco consumption is killing over 5 million people annually, a figure that could reach 8 million by 2030, Cuba has announced its first therapeutic vaccine against lung cancer, one of the most frequent types of the disease at the world level and the one with highest prevalence among smokers.
Successful clinical tests have proven the effectiveness of this medication, which will be commercialized on the island under the trademark CIMAVAX-EGF, thanks to the research work of experts at the Havana-based Molecular Immunology Center, who are already considering the use of the principle of this medication to treat other oncological conditions.
The Cuban vaccine cannot prevent the disease, but considerably improves the state of patients with advanced cancer, said project head Gisela Gonzalez in statements to Trabajadores newspaper. The medication turns advanced cancer into a controllable chronic disease since it generates antibodies against proteins that cause uncontrolled cell proliferation, the specialist explained.
The World Health Organization pointed out that lung cancer is one of the most serious conditions and one of the types of cancers responsible over one million deaths annually at world level.
The people most affected by this conditions are adults over 50 years of age with smoking records or persons exposed to tobacco smoke -- bearing in mind that 600 000 passive smokers die every year in the world as well as smoke emissions from industry and transportation.
Photo Credit From South Journal
