New Vaccine Shrinks Head and Neck Cancers
March 14, 2013
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From VOA Learning English, this is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in Special English. I’m Bob Doughty.
And I’m June Simms. Today, we tell about a new vaccine for fighting cancers in the head and neck. We tell about progress in the fight against malaria. And we report on evidence suggesting that being able to speak two languages is good for the brain as we age.
Scientists are developing a new vaccine to treat cancers of the head and neck. The new vaccine is reported to be most effective as a nasal spray, entering the body as a watery mist through the nose. The treatment is one of a growing number of vaccines in the past few years to fight cancer.
When a person develops cancer, the body’s natural defenses for fighting disease launch an attack against the cancer cells. But the natural defenses are often too weak to prevent the cells from spreading.
So, scientists have been working to develop vaccines to improve the natural defenses against the cancer cells. Two promising vaccines in human tests target prostate cancer and metastatic melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Another experimental vaccine is designed to treat solid tumors that form in the mucosal tissues. Those tissues are found in the head, neck, lungs and reproductive organs. They produce a thick fluid containing powerful chemicals that normally protect against infection. However, they also block the immune cells that are supposed to fight the cancerous tumors.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25