05-31-2009, 05:18 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Immune system taught to fight deadly skin cancer</b>
First-of-a-kind treatment trains immune system to fight deadly skin cancer, doctors report
Marilynn Marchione, AP Medical Writer
On Saturday May 30, 2009, 3:33 pm EDT
   Buzz up! Print ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- For the first time, a novel treatment that trains the immune system to fight cancer has shown a modest benefit in late-stage testing against the deadly skin cancer melanoma.
The approach is called a cancer vaccine, even though it treats disease rather than prevents it as most vaccines do.
Doctors say that in a study of 180 patients already getting standard treatments, the vaccine doubled the number of patients whose tumors shrank, and extended the time until their cancer worsened by about six weeks.
Results were reported Saturday at a cancer conference in Orlando.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
First-of-a-kind treatment trains immune system to fight deadly skin cancer, doctors report
Marilynn Marchione, AP Medical Writer
On Saturday May 30, 2009, 3:33 pm EDT
   Buzz up! Print ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- For the first time, a novel treatment that trains the immune system to fight cancer has shown a modest benefit in late-stage testing against the deadly skin cancer melanoma.
The approach is called a cancer vaccine, even though it treats disease rather than prevents it as most vaccines do.
Doctors say that in a study of 180 patients already getting standard treatments, the vaccine doubled the number of patients whose tumors shrank, and extended the time until their cancer worsened by about six weeks.
Results were reported Saturday at a cancer conference in Orlando.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->