Submitted by nastratin t3_10altcg in Futurology
Comments
[deleted] t1_j452wer wrote
Haven't things moved on considerably in very recent weeks/months? Didn't I read that the UK is rolling out a trial to 10,000 cancer patients and thus far results have been far, far better than 'showing promise'
J_Robert_Oofenheimer t1_j4597qp wrote
CRISPR and the emergence of mRNA vaccine technology are relatively recent developments and they're doing a lot of heavy lifting. It's a VERY exciting time in medical research. The disease that's going to kill my grandfather in the next 3-6 months will likely be no big deal in the next 30-40 years.
Julie_mrrea t1_j45looe wrote
If only climate crisis wasn't there :/ one could even look forward to the future
DanEpiCa t1_j45oexk wrote
An optimist would say one step at a time. Although I share your concerns.
VerlinMerlin t1_j45qxsm wrote
A pessimist would point at wealth inequality and politicians.
bottom t1_j463tdu wrote
Shall we go for a realist.
There’s a problem. It needs to be fixed but worry an panic will do nothing, expect lessen your life experience. And health.
Back in subject. I’m truly exciting by this. My friend just lost his wife in 6 months to cancer. Horrific. She was a beautiful person and died so young leaving him and two kids. It’s so tragic.
VerlinMerlin t1_j465vu0 wrote
I am too! I lost my grandaunt to it a few years ago. Had stomach and trachea cancer( I think? was in the neck, they wouldn't tell me much) in that order. Fought it for a decade. The cancer kept relapsing. In the end she died watching TV. Was peaceful as far as deaths go, her organs had too much and failed
her life's goal was to make a hospital for the poor people around her hometown. Even though she was Dean of the local college and head of the local government hospital, she lived in a tiny flat had no servants. Even when she was 80.
But the money just wasn't enough. The cancer ate at it and inflation destroyed any chance of it working.
bottom t1_j467j5m wrote
It’s horrible isn’t it. I’m sorry. She sounds like a great person
Test19s t1_j45s0h3 wrote
Getting stabbed in the back by your own rising lifespan would be a pretty shitty end for a civilization.
xieta t1_j45ynte wrote
If it’s any consolation, climate change won’t end the planet, and almost certainly won’t end the species.
When we do eventually stabilize the climate, we’ll come out the other side as a species capable of regulating its entire planet’s environment, which is pretty big step in our development.
We probably won’t live to see the recovery, but we can (and probably will) live through the treatment.
Julie_mrrea t1_j46dwi0 wrote
Not really a consolation but thanks. Some of us will survive yay maybe even science and society won't go back to xix century. Perhaps someone will remember about women rights and minorities. Maybe. There is always hope. Perhaps maybe we won't see second and third hitler. It could be that school system will be still there in some form and healthcare.
A big maybe but perhaps religions won't make a big comeback in hard times to their fundamentalistic roots?
xieta t1_j46f66b wrote
A lot more than some. People will suffer, but mass starvation does not seem likely.
The best and worst thing about climate change is that it's a creeping problem, not a single event. It takes long time to recognize the problem, but we also have lots of time to adapt and respond.
Julie_mrrea t1_j46gq9w wrote
That makes sense but from what I know it already or as we speak crosses certain thresholds that make it impossible to go back in the near mid term at least. What I commented is also a form of adaptation from evolutionary point of view. That's what I am scared of - adaptation. Strong survive 'weak', poor go extinct. You believe science progress will prevent the worst. I can't afford faith i probably should do prep work in 5 to 10 years and must follow the topic closely to check rate of changes. If it won't come to the worst then yay nice but if it comes better to be ready. It's not just some reddit abstract talk but life altering thing.
Already things are bad tbh here thanks to alt right gov chosen because of climate immigration.
For example I must make a lifelong supply of grey market life saving medicine soonish. That's prep work
xieta t1_j46mi21 wrote
> That's what I am scared of - adaptation. Strong survive 'weak', poor go extinct.
Adaptation means the fittest survive, but fitness is just a measure of how well a species thrives in its environment, not just strength. Our adaptation to climate change is not evolution of our genes, it's changing our society to eliminate green house gas emissions, and become more resilient to severe weather events and loss of biodiversity. None of those are outside our abilities.
> You believe science progress will prevent the worst.
Scientific progress is very useful, but adapting to climate change is actually much more of a political and engineering problem than a scientific one.
I'm optimistic for that reason. We have the knowledge and tech, we just need the motivation to act. Fortunately, the worse it gets, the stronger that motivation becomes.
Julie_mrrea t1_j46o86p wrote
You seem to expect people will orderly go in lines when the supermarket burns. That seems rather... detached. It is gonna be free for all in there at some point, anarchy. That's what i am prepping for. The fact that you haven't even asked me where I live says a lot about this discussion. In some places over the world it already started. Pakistan right now is very hellish of a place to be in.
62% of population lives on less than $10 per day. We are not the rule but exception that soon can and probably will correct a bit
regalrecaller t1_j47vjnj wrote
We need more carbon extraction factories that produce bricks of carbon from the air, and we need to shut off all the methane leaks. That last one is super super important, I sure hope we have people working on that
Longjumping_Pilgirm t1_j4j009e wrote
While the climate crisis is there, so are the solutions, or ways we can deal with the changes in ways that aren't painful. This subreddit alone puts forward many different news articles about technologies that will or already are greatly helping with that, but some are not that obvious are only become noticable after thinking about it for a while.
Milk_Man21 t1_j4687zk wrote
I am so sorry about your grandfather.
Anoscetia t1_j46dlnu wrote
Probably only for people who can afford it though. I'm not counting on being one of them. Even if the actual technology isn't that expensive, they'll gatekeep it and hoard it for the haves vs the have-nots. Why would they want the common plebs to live a decade longer after they've already passed their productive years?
The-Fox-Says t1_j46gmwi wrote
Don’t forget advanced analytics using machine learning to supercharge clinical trials
Tacosofinjustice t1_j47v0l3 wrote
I think about this often. My dad died Jan 2020 of cancer and I keep seeing headlines like this and just wish it could have been a possibility for him.
Working_Berry9307 t1_j480jl9 wrote
Rolling it out to 10,000 patients by 2030*
It's going to take a long time
Whitey98 t1_j480c4o wrote
Where will we find 10,000 cancer patients? Oh, every town? Ok. Good luck!
toomeynd t1_j47lxdg wrote
Would this also prevent the development of moles? It’s my understanding that they are a precursor, if not a benign variant of cancer.
LordOfDorkness42 t1_j48irun wrote
...That would be an interesting side-effect, honestly.
Curious how the antivax crowd would react to each and every 'jabbed' suddenly having fairer skin. Lizard People transformation rumors, I suppose?
cookiemonster247 t1_j4azkxw wrote
So wait, is one vaccine going to tackle multiple cancers?
Skavis t1_j46bf5v wrote
Hi. Double cancer survivor here. Two types. Non genetic.
Can I have one please?
Ambiguity_Envelope t1_j45gnih wrote
This is exciting news. My wife isn't even 40 yet and we barely caught a proximal epitheliod sarcoma in her thigh before it metastasized. No history of it in her family. Having an injection to prevent a relapse would be amazing beyond words.
I just hope the politicians can stay the out of the picture for as long as possible on this one. Let it go through a full blown testing regimen before they start throwing around bans and mandates. Nothing is more terrifying than career politicians making medical decisions based on the opinions of cherry picked doctors who are paid to reinforce their agendas.
I am fully vaccinated. I also don't trust the government when they say "You MUST take this vaccine, carry proof of it at all times, and you cannot sue us or manufacturers for any reason even if you can prove it did you harm." Especially when they stand to make hundreds of millions on investments from said companies.
xieta t1_j4607m4 wrote
These vaccines are treatment, not preventative, and cancer is not communicable. No reason to mandate.
It’s interesting though that many people are terrified of drugs when they’re called a vaccine and injected by a needle, but actively “talk to their doctor” about pills they see on TV.
I’m fine being skeptical of governments, but what was frustrating about the pandemic (at least in America) was seeing how many people feel no personal responsibility or obligation to protect others from their actions. If our society was just now passing drunk driving laws, many of these same people would whine about the nanny state, say things like “everyone dies eventually,” and claim it violates their right to take risks.
Rusty_Shakalford t1_j46dhro wrote
> If our society was just now passing drunk driving laws, many of these same people would whine about the nanny state, say things like “everyone dies eventually,” and claim it violates their right to take risks.
No need for hypotheticals. That’s pretty much what happened when mandatory seatbelt laws were introduced.
xieta t1_j46fomt wrote
Indeed, but seatbelts do have less relevance to how one's actions affect others.
Own_Back_2038 t1_j46ym8f wrote
Not having your seatbelt on increases the risk of serious injury for the other passengers
Rusty_Shakalford t1_j46j7o8 wrote
Valid point.
[deleted] t1_j46ln0k wrote
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xieta t1_j46pr3f wrote
> government originally said if you got vaccine you couldn’t catch it or spread it.
Did they? The CDC's minimum effectiveness for accepting a covid vaccine in 2020 was 50%, and Fauci gave estimates of 70% before vaccines arrived. The head of the CDC said in September 2020 "“I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine."
The reason some people (mostly in the media) started using absolute language was because, to everyone's surprise, Moderna's mRNA vaccine was over 94% effective against the wild type strain. At the time, it was more or less true to say it would prevent infection.
> Then it was “breakthrough” when those with vaccines caught it
Nope, breakthrough wasn't some new word invented for covid, it's a known aspect of vaccinations. It just became increasingly common as the virus mutated. The vaccine didn't change, the virus did. The changing circumstances doesn't retroactively make earlier findings a lie, anymore than "I'm hungry" said before a meal becomes a lie after eating.
> then it was finally admitted Pfizer had no data showing it stopped you from catching it or spreading it.
Citation very much needed.
bnogal t1_j48u75s wrote
Then why it is obligatory to have the FIRST two vaccines to enter USA, even if it is not obligatory for everyone over there.
It's just about money.
Also, every country request to have their own vaccines. If you travel to China you are required the china one, to USA, the USA one, to Russia, the Russian one.
I trust the vaccines but it is just funny.
xieta t1_j49035p wrote
> Then why it is obligatory to have the FIRST two vaccines to enter USA, even if it is not obligatory for everyone over there.
I'm really not sure what you mean. Are you asking why people were obligated to have moderna or Pfizer vaccines? Because there was also J&J approved around the same time (spring 2021), well before vaccines were sufficiently available to be mandatory.
bnogal t1_j4adqnw wrote
If they know they work mainly for the original virus. Why to request them now that the variants of the virus bypassed the original vaccine
Even more stupid, you may test to have good defenses, as you had other vaccines and passed different version of the virus twice. But still they want you to have their approved vaccines for the alpha variant. A test showing your body will deal with it is not valid.
I don't say vaccines are wrong, just the measures they use seems to me unethical.
I am talking about the situation now, January 2023.
xieta t1_j4amzkt wrote
Ah. Well the weight of evidence suggests vaccination still offers worthwhile protection from transmission (similar to flu shots), and very good protection from serious illness and death, despite being outdated.
Fortunately the mRNA vaccines circa 2023 are all bivalent, mixing the original vaccine with omicro-specific additions, though for earlier sub-variants. These are somewhat more effective.
That protection, especially from severe illness, is why they are still recommended. But if you notice, there are fewer and fewer places with strict vaccine mandates, precisely because everyone has been exposed multiple times and the virus has become so evasive.
What many people forget during the height of vaccine checks/mandates was that was during delta when people still didn’t have any immune protection and we’re dying in droves. Vaccination was really really important for large gatherings then.
[deleted] t1_j461o93 wrote
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Fiddlefig t1_j463rb2 wrote
When enough ppl are vaccinated, the virus runs out of hosts to infect and disappears, thus protecting many ppl. It’s called herd immunity.
xieta t1_j463tk8 wrote
Covid vaccination reduces your chance of transmitting the disease by 20-40% for omicron.
At any rate, the opposition has been the same, even for the wild-type strain and original vaccine when it was understood that curbing the spread was a significant motivation for vaccination.
BellumSuprema t1_j478tos wrote
I hope that people w/ no medical background keep their opinions to themselves and hopefully they learn their lesson when it comes to infecting others w/ their diseases.
Politicians should stay out of the way w/ medical decisions and private companies should not own a monopoly on care and medication, especially when MY tax dollars go to pay for their research
Milk_Man21 t1_j468v7p wrote
Could you imagine if, after a few generations, the body says "Hey, this is a far more effective way of doing something we already do. Let's take the vaccine data and put into our DNA!". I doubt that would happen, if it's even possible (is it? Anyone here know?), but that would be awesome!
MarleyBerd t1_j46inr7 wrote
No it’s not possible in eukaryotic organisms that’s not how the immune system works. Immune memory is part of a selection process of reactive cells. mRNA vaccines work by having cells near the injection site temporarily express a foreign protein that the immune cells don’t recognize as “self” and then form a response against. Oddly enough, that IS how some bacterial immune systems work and is the basis of the endogenous bacterial CRISPR system that we now use to edit human cells.
Ishmael128 t1_j46n06x wrote
Yup, the immune system need to learn “self” before it can learn “non-self”, so I imagine if you constitutively expressed these vaccines, your rate of cancer would increase.
Alohagrown t1_j479rcj wrote
Cuba has had a lung cancer vaccine for a while now. They actually have an incredible healthcare system despite all the other problems with the country.
Rough_Mango8008 t1_j4bal3y wrote
Made from an extract of the Cuban blue scorpion.
Spectre_N7 t1_j47p6ms wrote
I lost my father to cancer 11 months ago. I have still not emotionally recovered from it after watching him rapidly suffer after so many chemo treatments and setbacks. If there is one thing I hope humanity can solve its this disease. I’m all for exploring the universe and tackling socioeconomic issues, but I think this should be closer to the top of humanity’s priority list.
MysteriousTaste2738 t1_j50yi31 wrote
yeah my father currently has cancer and the setbacks and false hope is the worse
Spectre_N7 t1_j51vq6c wrote
Hang in there friend, I feel for you
Trumpologist t1_j45eahf wrote
Anti vaccine idiots and their morally bankrupt political friends ruined everything for humanity
Curleysound t1_j45f25r wrote
Wait till they find out we wanna “inject everyone with cancer”
alexjonestownkoolaid t1_j46pkc6 wrote
A lot of those people think there's already a cure for cancer and that it's being suppressed. Now they'll suppress the actual treatment because it's a vaccine.
MacDugin t1_j46pkpk wrote
Who ever politicized it can fuck right off.
[deleted] t1_j489ynu wrote
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AdmiralKurita t1_j492pcz wrote
Unfortunately, the roll out will be a decade long process.
It is best not to pay attention to this unless you enjoy waiting.
[deleted] t1_j454nqv wrote
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snoo135337842 t1_j4551di wrote
Surgery and oncology are the two biggest drains on the medical system. There's no shortage of other reasons to be in the hospital. Maybe doctors and nurses would get to have more normal work hours
armandojr423 t1_j4777dq wrote
“My name is Robert Neville. I am a survivor living in New York City. I will be at the SouthStreet Seaport everyday at mid-day, when the sun is highest in the sky. If you are out there... if anyone is out there... I can provide food, I can provide shelter, I can provide security. If there's anybody out there... anybody... please. You are not alone.”
prylosec t1_j47cz4f wrote
Men on both sides of my family have a tendency to die of cancer in their 60s. Both grandfathers, all but one uncle, and my father passed away from various forms of non-lung cancer. How does one get in on these trials?
internetfugitive t1_j48908y wrote
Great timing considering everyone has such a trusting relationship with vaccines and their producers.
Lauren12269 t1_j49hcnq wrote
So I have metastatic breast cancer, which means stage 4. I was diagnosed at 37. Even the vague idea of this excites me. I understand it may not be successful while I'm alive, but the fewer people who have to go through this, the better.
[deleted] t1_j450g0s wrote
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FuturologyBot t1_j453abj wrote
The following submission statement was provided by /u/nastratin:
The immediate goal is to create vaccines that destroy cancer cells—but some scientists are also testing vaccines that might prevent someone from developing cancer
Typically, vaccines help protect us against diseases. But cancer vaccines are different; they are potential therapies for treating people who already have cancer. These treatments have been years in the making, and failures have been frequent, but they’re now starting to show some promise.
In the last decade, technological innovations like genome sequencing have allowed scientists to take a closer look at tumor cells and their genetic abnormalities. This is helping them design vaccines aimed at much more specific targets. At the same time, we’ve been learning a lot more about the immune system and how it recognizes and destroys a patient’s tumor, says cellular immunologist Stephen Schoenberger at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in San Diego.
Cancer vaccine research is still in the nascent stages, says Nina Bhardwaj, a hematology and medical oncology expert at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. But early results from clinical trials testing dozens of vaccine candidates against a variety of cancers look encouraging, she says.
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/10altcg/cancer_vaccines_are_showing_promise_heres_how/j4503de/
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Re_Thomas t1_j46zy0m wrote
Sry but the same was said about checkpoint inhibitors, and here we are years later where people can expect a few months more to live. Its something but you would expect we could at least achieve years by now. I have a feeling that we will never be able to cure cancer
tivohax t1_j475ykp wrote
Cancer vaccine technology is real, and happening right now.
There was a major news segment last week highlighting the specifics after the successful phase 3 results were posted in JAMA Oncology.
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/cU_-1ECBMAU
You can get this treatment currently in the UK. They are also moving mountains behind the scenes to get full approval from MHRA.
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ShiftyTree19 t1_j484hwm wrote
This super exciting! My family has a history of back cancer and while the doctors all said it is not genetic, if your parent has the specific cancer then you are likely to develop it as well. I take this as they cannot find a specific gene that cause it but they have seen a pattern. Since I lost my dad to it, I’ve always had a fear in the back of my mind that I will likely get it one day. While I certainly wish we could’ve had something like this that’s able to fight it sooner so my dad could still be here, it’s nice to know that I may have a brighter future ahead of me.
peq15 t1_j486dv6 wrote
For those who actually want to read the article: https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalgeographic.com%2Fmagazine%2Farticle%2Fcancer-vaccines-are-showing-promise-prostate-colon-breast
SweetSort431 t1_j49lyfc wrote
Nephew is in remission (was diagnosed at 15) with osteosarcoma. He’s on a clinical trial drug called MEPACT.
It’s available in the UK, but not United States (he was on a list). When is the FDA going to approve this? Children are dying.
Ancient-Deer-4682 t1_j4js3y1 wrote
Where do people even have access to these types of experimental trials and what not..just had somebody die from cancer, all they were able to get was your generic chemo and radiation therapy + a surgery here and there, same treatment options for decades now it seems. They were actually told they had a 1/100 chance of survival with their treatment and still went through with it despite the 1% chance of surviving . Im sure they would’ve opted to try anything else offered.
luv-it t1_j47cixa wrote
Only way anything ever gets cured is if it makes pharma a profit. Name a single cure. EVER. I'll wait.
LordOfDorkness42 t1_j47mzhu wrote
Smallpox. Rinderpest.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eradication_of_infectious_diseases
Five more are currently on the chopping block potentially. Including mumps, measles & rubella.
Sounds familiar a combo? That's the MMR vaccines target. The one the disgraced EX-Dr. Andrew Wakefield started the modern antivax movement to discredit for money.
luv-it t1_j486egz wrote
Not cured. These and all others are at best, preventative.
ZERO CURES. Anywhere, ever. Those are the facts. And, the more anti-vax retards increase in numbers, the less effective those preventive measures will be going forward.
Step outside any country with high vax rates and all you have to do is open your eyes. Polio, small pox, measles, whooping cough.....all those still exist and still effect people.
You cure something, you get paid ONCE. You "prevent or treat" you never stop making money, bottom line.
Downvote me all you want, I could care less. Facts are facts whether you like them or not.
Just because you don't like them doesn't make them not true. That logic only works in internet echo chambers like reddit. In the real world, realities have to be dealt with, like it or not.
QueerAsInFUN t1_j48kwtf wrote
Vaccines are not cures and have never been described as such. The tetanus shot doesn’t cure tetanus. The HPV vaccine doesn’t cure HPV. The flu shot doesn’t cure influenza.
There’s no cure for cancer, but imagine having a treatment option for cancer less invasive than chemotherapy. The improvement to quality of life alone is worth it.
If people keep confusing the actual purpose of vaccines as a cure and not as a measure to prevent illness and hospitalization then they’re basically a self fulfilling prophecy.
luv-it t1_j48wduq wrote
No shit sherlock. NOR did I say they were. So, I didnt comment directly on the vax story, sue me. See the dipshit who responded first, posting vaccine shit to a comment that didn't even mention vaccines. I very clearly said, they haven't cured a SINGLE thing, EVER, and they haven't. And, they won't.
Here's a giant newsflash for you, they aren't looking for cures and they never have. Nor will they. NO PROFIT.
Vaccines are great, but the big point no one gets is that as long as people are satisfied with vaccines, vaccine is all they ever acheive, it's all they ever will acheive.
There isn't going to EVER be a vax for cancer because that isn't what cancer is or how it works.
Cancer isn't communicable, not a virus, nor even a bacteria. It's mutated cell growth, you can't vax mutations, thats not how it works.
QueerAsInFUN t1_j495jdv wrote
Are you always this much of a ray of sunshine? I read what you said. I understood what you said.
mRNA has been studied for its potential in cancer treatment, not cure. Your right, it doesn’t cure cancer, but the hope is that it will do the same thing it did with the COVID vaccine: train your body to recognize and fight tumour cells. It might be the one good thing that might have come out of this pandemic is the mRNA technology expedited, allowing now for research to be expanded on how it can be used as a therapy.
Of course, sure there’s no money in the cure, but I also don’t live in a country where I have to pay for insulin. 🤷🏻♀️
luv-it t1_j49b7d8 wrote
I tell it like it is. If that's not shiny enough, sorry, not sorry.
They've "studied" everything from mRNA to window cleaner because they have to show "something" for the billions they've bilked everyone out of for 100 years of "research" that's gone exactly nowhere and never will.
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nastratin OP t1_j4503de wrote
The immediate goal is to create vaccines that destroy cancer cells—but some scientists are also testing vaccines that might prevent someone from developing cancer
Typically, vaccines help protect us against diseases. But cancer vaccines are different; they are potential therapies for treating people who already have cancer. These treatments have been years in the making, and failures have been frequent, but they’re now starting to show some promise.
In the last decade, technological innovations like genome sequencing have allowed scientists to take a closer look at tumor cells and their genetic abnormalities. This is helping them design vaccines aimed at much more specific targets. At the same time, we’ve been learning a lot more about the immune system and how it recognizes and destroys a patient’s tumor, says cellular immunologist Stephen Schoenberger at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in San Diego.
Cancer vaccine research is still in the nascent stages, says Nina Bhardwaj, a hematology and medical oncology expert at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. But early results from clinical trials testing dozens of vaccine candidates against a variety of cancers look encouraging, she says.