Virology, vaccines & Emerging Diseases

Cancer Vaccines

Cancer treatment vaccines boost the immune system's ability to identify and destroy antigens. Often, cancer cells have certain molecules called cancer-specific antigens on their cell surface that healthy cells do not have. When these molecules are given to a human, the molecules act as antigens. They stimulate the immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells that have these molecules on their surface. Cancer prevention vaccines mainly target viruses that are known to cause cancer. These vaccines are sometimes developed from a patient’s own tumour cells.