Can mesothelioma vaccine save lives?

According to the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the first vaccine for mesothelioma has been developed by Dutch scientists.

The vaccine uses tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cells whichs uses the body’s immune system to manufacture mesothelioma specific antibodies.

Treatment is a series of three vaccinations administered intradermally and intravenously over a two week period after chemotherapy.

The results were 80 percent effective in the test group. The earlier a person received the treatment the greater their chances were to be free of mesothelioma. The only side effects were a skin rash and flu like symptoms that lasted a day or two.

Mesothelioma is a cancerous disease of the lungs that results from exposure to asbestos. The disease can remain dormant for as long as 50 years before becoming active. Survival times are a year to fifteen months with radiation treatment.

Alabama has one of the highest rates of mesothelioma and one of the greatest potentials for new cases of mesothelioma because of the number of plants that used asbestos or buildings that contained asbestos.