The ‘year of cancer vaccines’ confirms we are living in a golden age of cancer research

The powerful promise of cancer vaccines has dominated headlines in 2024, confirming we are living in a golden age of cancer research. 

Cancer vaccines are a type of immunotherapy, designed to help our immune system beat cancer. Cancer Research UK forms part of the global effort exploring if vaccines can be used to treat and prevent certain cancers. 

The technology offers the tantalising possibility that we might one day be able to stop some cancers before they take hold in the body, saving countless lives. 

Cancer vaccines aren’t new: Cancer Research UK-funded science led to the development of the HPV vaccine, which has helped reduce cervical cancer cases by nearly 90% in women in their twenties who received the vaccine at age 12–13. 

In May, we shared new analysis showing the HPV vaccine continues to prevent cervical cancer across England.  

What’s changed is that the science that pulled us out of the Covid-19 pandemic is now helping scientists to tackle cancer. Moderna and BioNTech, which became household names in 2020, announced several new cancer vaccine trials this year. 

It’s great that cancer patients in the UK have access to these studies through the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. 

It’s not just therapeutic vaccines we should be excited about: In March, Cancer Research UK announced up to £1.7m funding with the CRIS Cancer Foundation to develop LungVax, the world’s first vaccine designed to prevent lung cancer, using Oxford/AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine technology. 

We also announced funding for developing vaccines to prevent ovarian cancer and cancers linked to Lynch Syndrome. 

Vaccines aren’t a “magic bullet” for beating cancer, but are likely to be used alongside other therapies and screening programmes designed to prevent and treat the disease.  

Much of the progress we’ve seen in 2024 is thanks to decades of investment in vaccine research. 

We cannot let challenges like rising costs limit our ambitions; we must continue to back research to deliver more breakthroughs like those we’ve seen this year. 

This article was originally published by express.co.uk