Scientists at the University of California, Davis recently found that a single dose of the tuberculosis vaccine (BCG) can inhibit the growth of liver tumors in mice and prolong the lives of cancer-stricken mice. The research results were published in the journal Advanced Science in February, demonstrating for the first time the potential of vaccines to treat liver cancer.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver cancer and one of the top three causes of cancer death in the world. Current treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and liver transplantation, but none of them can effectively control the progression of liver cancer. Since BCG has been proven to enhance human immunity and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat bladder cancer, scientists in this study further explored the efficacy of BCG on liver cancer.
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Researchers injected BCG vaccine into mice with liver cancer through subcutaneous injection, which is very similar to human vaccination. It was found that BCG vaccine can promote the activity of immune cells in mice and enable more anti-cancer immune cells (T cells and macrophages) to infiltrate into tumors to help fight cancer cells. “We expected BCG to stimulate an immune response in cancer-stricken mice and, surprisingly, significantly shrink the tumors,” said senior scientist Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan, associate director for research in the Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine at UC Davis. “
Previous studies have shown that the impact of BCG on immunity differs between genders. Therefore, the team analyzed whether the impact of BCG on liver cancer differs by gender. Results: Both male and female mice with liver cancer can benefit from the efficacy of BCG vaccine, and there is no difference based on gender.
Different from general immunotherapy, which requires administration of antibody drugs almost every month, and the cost of a course of treatment can easily start at one million yuan, BCG only requires one dose, and its efficacy in animal experiments is even better. If liver cancer can really be treated, it will be a disruptive development, not only low-cost but also simple. In addition, BCG safety concerns are relatively low because it has been widely administered around the world for decades, and doctors have a high degree of awareness of side effects.
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Professor Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan said: “If BCG can treat malignant tumors such as liver cancer, I am optimistic that it can also treat more other difficult-to-treat cancers. We need to invest more resources to push laboratory research results into actual clinical applications. . In addition, the mechanism of BCG in treating liver cancer may be complex and requires further research.” Can multiple doses of BCG be more effective in fighting liver cancer? What are the effects of dosage, different administration times, etc. on the efficacy? More experiments are needed to clarify.
(Source of first picture:Unsplash）
2024-02-29 09:41:35
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