Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and is the world’s leading cause of cancer death.
There are no signs or symptoms in early stage lung cancer, but some common symptoms that do develop can include:
- Persistent cough
- Coughing up blood
- Persistent breathlessness
- Unexplained tiredness and weight loss
- Ache or pain when breathing or coughing
Although smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, individuals who have never smoked can still develop it.
Treatment of lung cancer depends on the type of lung cancer, how far it has spread and one's general health. If the lung cancer is still at an early stage, surgery to remove the affected area of the lung is normally recommended. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are also treatment options that may be available too if surgery is unsuitable. Targeted therapies are also available which target a specific change with cancer cells that help them grow, so while it cannot cure lung cancer it can slow down the spread of it.
Researchers have continued developing new cancer treatments. A recent development which is worth paying attention to is the world’s first mRNA lung cancer vaccine treatment that has started being trialled with patients in August 2024. The BNT116 vaccine developed by BioNTech is for treating the most common form of lung cancer (non-small cell lung cancer). Readers may be familiar with mRNA-based vaccine treatment, which was the new technology that was used to develop some of the Covid-19 vaccines such as the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccine. The vaccine works by presenting the immune system with tumour markers, training it to recognise and fight cancer cells that express those markers. It is hoped that the vaccine will minimise damage to patient’s healthy cells.
The BNT116 vaccine trial will involve over 100 patients across seven countries, with about 20 patients from the UK. 67 year old Mr Janusz Racz is the first UK patient to receive the vaccine at the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The trial will last for over a year. If successful, further trials will take place to evaluate its effectiveness in larger groups of patients.
It is hoped by researchers that the new vaccine will improve survival rates for lung cancer patients. If successful, this could be a major new step in changing lung cancer treatment and potentially become the new standard of treatment in the future.
As someone who has represented several clients who have suffered from lung cancer or had loved ones pass away due to lung cancer, it is exciting to see more hope for those who have to deal with this terrible illness.
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