F.D.A. Approves Vaccine to Fight Prostate Cancer

New Prostate Cancer immune booster drug approved

An immune system booster was approved by the FDA yesterday -
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-sci-prostate-20100429,0,1411702.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fscience+%28L.A.+Times+-+Science%29

The first couple of paragraphs:

Aggressive prostate cancer is linked to XMRV ...

 

Thanks for this, jace. I saw a story about it on the national network news here last night. Very interesting.

Here's the CBS video of the broadcast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExE90xSrPCM

 

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

I wonder now what to do if one has CFS and prostate cancer, considering that vaccinations can make us sicker.

Another thought: I wonder if this has any affect on XMRV.

 

Why did the FDA reject this drug in 2007?

 

Somewhat related... due to XMRV being a potential cause of prostate cancer.
----

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first treatment that uses a so-called cancer vaccine, a drug that trains the bodys own immune system to fight the disease.

The drug, Provenge, developed by the Dendreon Corporation, was approved to treat advanced prostate cancer. In clinical trials it extended the lives of patients about four months compared with a placebo.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/health/30drug.html?ref=health

 

Provenge has a checkered history. There is something to be learned in reading about its history - and what is learned is not all good. In 2007 it was approved by an FDA advisory committee by a 13-4 vote. The FDA usually follows these expert panels recommendations, but, astonishingly, in this case, they did not. Amongst the 4 negative votes were two "movers and shakers" (big shots). The FDA sent Provenge back to trials and after another two years, the drug delivered the same level of results (essentially repeating the same trials) and remarkably it was finally approved. How many men did of prostate cancer over these additional two years is anyone's guess. Provenge looks like a remarkable drug, but it had the usual stiff resistance from some quarters. Its approval opens the door for additional drugs of this category.

Chrishttp://cfspatientadvocate.blogspot.com

 

Does anyone understand the science behind why a vaccine for prostate cancer helps to fight prostate cancer when a person already has the cancer in their body?

I know I had read somewhere that a development of a vaccine for XMRV could potentially help fight XMRV in a person already infected - I didn't realize vaccines could work this way...

Kristina