Vaccine may eliminate need for routine colon screenings
Clinical trials of a vaccine designed to trigger the body to attack a protein linked to colon cancer are currently being conducted by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The vaccine activates the immune system to target a defective protein which is prevalent in colorectal cancer tissue and other precancerous tissues. Researchers hope, if proven successful, the vaccine may eliminate the need for repeated colon screenings in high-risk patients. These patients tend to have multiple precancerous polyps, called advanced adenomas, in their intestines. Routine colonoscopies look for signs of recurrence of the polyps.