Health Issue: A SHOT IN THE ARM

Close at hand, a jab to 

thwart breast cancer

Drug Hits Key Protein To Shrink

Tumours By 50%, Say Experts

London: In what's being claimed as a major breakthrough, scientists have developed a jab which they claim could cut breast cancer risk by 70%. An international team has developed the new drug which has been already successfully tested on rodents, and will be tried on humans next year.

        According to the scientists, the jab works by boosting the immune system, which attacks a protein called the alpha-lactalbumin that occurs in most breat cancers. By destroying every trace of it, the tumours don't develop and existing ones are shrunk by up to half.

       "We believe this will some day be used to prevent breast cancer in adult women in the same way that vaccines have prevented many childhood diseases. If it works in humans the way it works in mice, this will be monumental,"Vincent Tuohy, who created the vaccine, told the British newpapers.

       Though it's is due to be tested in two trials next year but will not be on the market for at least a decade. Experts have welcomed the findings. Vincent Tuohy, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said: "We believe breast cancer is a completely preventable disease," Caitlin Palframan, from Breakthough Breast Cancer, said: "We look forward to seeing the results of large-scale clinical trials to find out if this vaccine would be safe and effective in humans."

      In terms of developing a preventive vaccine, cancer presents problems not posed by viruses - while viruses are recognised as foreign invaders by the immune system, cancer is not, Cancer is an over -development of the body's own cells. Trying to vaccinate against this cell over-growth would effectively be vaccinating against the recipient's own body, destroying healthy tissue.