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Some Discoveries about Antibodies for Cancer Prevention
The latest discoveries in medical technology are using certain antibodies for cancer prevention. These medical miracles are called monoclonal antibodies, or "Mabs", and can be used to help ward off all kinds of cancers. The technology to aid doctors and nurses fight cancer has only come about within the last several decades. Further research continually turns up more and more Mabs, providing hope for those who have already developed cancer and for those who are trying to protect themselves from it.
The American Cancer Society's (AMC) web site explains that monoclonal antibodies were first developed in laboratories using mice with myeloma cells, which is a kind of bone marrow cancer, and mice that produced specific antibodies for those cells. The combination of these two cells, called a hybridoma cell, forces a perpetual factory making antibodies. The antibodies end up being identical clones of the original hybridoma cell, which is why they are called monoclonal antibodies. The problem scientists faced with this phenomenal finding was that human antibodies recognized the mouse-produced antibodies as foreign invaders and attacked them. With hard work and dedication, scientists are continuing to develop ways to integrate human antibodies in lieu of mouse antibodies so cancer patients will be able to use the immunotherapy as a form of treatment.
Today there are two types of Mabs, naked and conjugated. The difference between these two lies in the fact that naked antibodies lack radioactive materials attached to them. Conjugated antibodies, on the other hand, are fused with a chemotherapy drug or other toxin used to fight off cancer cells. In recent years the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several Mabs, both naked and conjugated, for cancer treatments. A list of approved Mabs is available through the ACA's web site. In 2004 and in 2006, Bevacizumab, a naked antibody, was approved for treating certain types of breast cancers. In 2001 the FDA approved the use of Alemuzumab, a naked antibody, which acts as a form of leukemia prevention by attaching itself to both B and T cancer cells, causing the body's immune system to attack and kill them. In 2000, the FDA approved the use of a conjugated antibody, Gemtuzumab ozogamicin, which is used in the treatment of chronic leukemia.
Each year cancer claims thousands of victims. Findings from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturer of America show that more than 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, close to 150,000 men and women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and over 30,000 men will die from prostate cancer this year. Given these numbers, it is not hard to understand why the use and continual research of Mabs is critical to our society. The recent approval of a vaccine used to protect women from the Human Papilloma Virus, a known link to the development of cervical cancer, demonstrates that research laboratories are on the brink of helping find more antibodies for cancer prevention, providing hope that the number of cancer patients will begin to decline.
Medicine has come a long way in the last fifty years thanks to the help of scientists and research laboratories. Their combined efforts have aided individuals all over the world prevent and treat life-threatening forms of cancer. Advancements in immunotherapy treatments that use antibodies for cancer prevention, combined with other cancer-deterring methods, are just a step on the threshold for greater triumphs to help everyone live long and healthy lives.
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