{"id":26536,"date":"2020-11-20T15:00:02","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T15:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=18113"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:16:14","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:16:14","slug":"covid-19-vaccine-and-cancer-latest-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/covid-19-vaccine-and-cancer-latest-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19 vaccine and cancer \u2013 latest updates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic brought the <\/span>world to a standstill<\/span> back in March, there\u2019s been talk of a vaccine.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

COVID-19 vaccines <\/span>have been badged as our biggest<\/span> opportunity to<\/span> control the virus and return to normal. <\/span>And<\/span> for the last <\/span>8<\/span> months, researchers and scientists across the world have been <\/span>racing<\/span> to make that a reality. <\/span>There are now more than 300 different potential vaccines<\/a> in development, <\/span>many in the final stages of testing.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Now, as<\/span> initial data<\/span> is being released from different trials, <\/span>anticipation <\/span>is rising. <\/span>With<\/span> vaccine news coming<\/span> thick and fast, we want to <\/span>make sure everyone has access to information about the COVID-19 vaccine <\/span>and what it could mean for people with cancer<\/span>, <\/span>so<\/span> we\u2019ll be updating this blog post as new data and information emerges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Expert<\/span>s react<\/span> to COVID-19 vaccine<\/span> news <\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n

Like most of us, Cancer Research UK-funded experts have been following the news closely and have called the progress<\/span> \u2018exceptional\u2019. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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News of an effective COVID vaccine is great to hear. Having a vaccine will make the world safer, which means it will be safer for people with cancer too and it will become much easier for cancer treatments to continue. We look forward to getting a better understanding of the best time to give the vaccine to cancer patients to give them the best level of protection.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2013 Martin Ledwick, Cancer Research UK\u2019s head information nurse<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Normal drug or vaccine development would take in the range of 5-10 years, sometimes much longer<\/span>, so these developments have been extraordinary. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

But<\/span> e<\/span>xperts<\/span> have been<\/span> keen to emphasise that t<\/span>he rapid turnaround of the COVID-19 vaccines isn\u2019t because standards have dropped<\/span>. I<\/span>n fact, the COVID-19 trials have involved more people than standard vaccine <\/span>trials<\/span> and have been able to draw on cutting-edge developments in technology and data analysis<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The extraordinary progress is in part<\/span> because<\/span> scientists, government<\/span>s, industry and academic institutes around the world have turned their focus to this one goal. <\/span>And to further accelerate development, different phases of vaccine trials and production have overlapped<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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Copy this link and share our graphic<\/a>. Credit: Cancer Research UK<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Finally, while the initial results are <\/span>extremely promising, it\u2019s early days yet<\/span>. <\/span>Preliminary data<\/span><\/a> from<\/span> one vaccine trial led by<\/span> <\/span>Pfizer <\/span>suggested the vaccine offered 90% protection against <\/span>developing COVID-19<\/span>, whilst <\/span>more recent data<\/span><\/a> <\/span>revealed the vaccine was 94% effective in over-65s.<\/span> <\/span>Initial reports from <\/span>a second<\/span> vaccine <\/span>trial made by Moderna <\/span>disclosed <\/span>similar <\/span>figures<\/span>.<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

Experts<\/span> <\/span>expect more results <\/span>\u2013 including important safety data <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>to materialise in the next 4<\/span> to <\/span>6 weeks. <\/span>Vaccination will only be approved once it has passed the usual <\/span>high <\/span>standards set by the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

You can read more<\/a> about the <\/span>various COVID-19 <\/span>vaccine<\/span>s<\/span> in this piece by <\/span>journalist<\/span> <\/span>Tom Chivers, who\u2019s <\/span>taking part in<\/span> <\/span>the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trial.<\/span><\/p>\n

What <\/span>could<\/span> <\/span>a<\/span> <\/span>COVID-19 vaccine mean for people with cancer? <\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ll be <\/span>following COVID-19 vaccine developments closely<\/span> to help us understand<\/span> a range of things including<\/span>:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n