IMMUNOTHERAPY AGAINST CANCER – VACCINE DELIVERS "WANTED PHOTOS" AGAINST TUMOR CELLS

WHAT IS VACCINE THERAPY?

Immunotherapy against cancer is a new treatment method that uses the body's own immune system to fight cancer cells. Unlike traditional treatments, no active ingredient is introduced from outside, but the body's immune defense is utilized. These vaccines have long been used for prophylactic use and are, for example, approved and well-known as a vaccination against human papillomaviruses for cervical cancer.


In therapeutic use for existing cancer diseases, this logical and side effect-reduced principle is not yet widely applied.

WE ARE HAPPY TO ADVISE YOU

We would be delighted to welcome you to our clinic in Sickte near Braunschweig. You can arrange an appointment via the contact form or by telephone – even at short notice.

HOW DOES VACCINE THERAPY WORK?

The immune system finds it difficult to distinguish and eliminate malignant, endogenous cells from healthy ones – unlike cells, for example, that are affected by viruses. However, cancer cells carry certain markers on the surface that prevent the immune system from destroying them. In vaccine therapy, these markers on the surface of the cancer cells are made known to the immune system as if on a 'wanted photo'. This way, any cells, whether in the primary tumor, in metastases, or in the blood, can be recognized as 'not belonging to the body' and be combated.

HOW IS THE VACCINE MADE?

In the production of the personalized cancer vaccine (so-called autologous vaccine), circulating tumor cells of the patient or parts of them are taken from the blood and used in a harmless form. By injecting the manufactured vaccine, the tumor cell is marked as "hostile". The existing 'camouflage' of tumor cells is lifted. A similar procedure is vaccination with dendritic cells, the so-called dendritic cell therapy (DCT). These are the body's own cells that can identify tumor cells and trigger an immune response.

DIFFERENT APPROACH OF THE TWO VACCINE PROCEDURES

While personalized vaccines process and then inject tumor cells and their fragments, dendritic cells are endogenous and are shown the tumor cells outside the body, thus developing their effect. The metaphor of the "tumor cell vaccine as a wanted photo" can be continued by describing dendritic cells as the "patrol police" of the immune system. They are on the move in all areas of the body and are looking for foreign structures. These can be bacteria, viruses, but also degenerated surfaces of tumor cells. Once these have been identified, the lymph nodes receive the necessary information to initiate their combat with a body's own immune response.

HOW SUCCESSFUL IS VACCINE THERAPY?

Vaccine therapies can be carried out at any stage of the disease and for all solid tumors and blood cancer diseases. The less the immune system has previously been damaged by radiation or chemotherapy or suppressed by immunosuppressants such as cortisone, the better it can react to the tumor cells. The positive therapeutic effects of both therapies have been impressively demonstrated with simultaneously minor side effects in several studies.

VACCINE THERAPY AT UNIFONTIS

At the Unifontis practice in Sickte near Braunschweig (owner: Prof. Dr. med. Joachim Drevs), you will be advised about the mentioned therapies. We offer the production of vaccines in our partner lab. The vaccination is generally well tolerated, flu-like symptoms such as fever can occur a few days after the injection.

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UNIFONTIS | Prof. Dr. med. Joachim Drevs
Specialist for internal medicine
Additional qualification in hematology / private oncology doctor
 


Apothekenweg 6

38173 Sickte

Fon: +49 (0)5305-912 568-0

Fax: +49 (0)5305-1317



Mail: kontakt@unifontis.net


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