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Russia has announced that it is ready to test a cancer vaccine on humans after reporting strong results in laboratory studies. According to Veronika Skvortsova, head of Russia’s Federal Medical-Biological Agency, studies found the vaccine could shrink tumors or slow their growth by 60% to 80%, with survival rates improving in animal tests. Officials in Moscow say the vaccine may one day help turn cancer into a “manageable chronic disease.”
For cancer patients in Cyprus, where treatment options are limited and many families travel abroad for specialized care, the news sounds hopeful. But experts caution that it’s far too early to know if this vaccine will ever reach hospitals on the island or even prove effective in humans.
Skvortsova said preclinical trials have shown both safety and effectiveness, and that documents have been submitted for the next stage of testing. Colon cancer would be the first focus, followed by brain tumors and melanoma.
The vaccine is being developed with the involvement of Alexander Gintsburg, best known for creating the “Sputnik” COVID-19 vaccine, along with top Russian oncology institutes. The first melanoma patients in Russia could begin receiving experimental doses as early as this autumn.
But the announcement comes with caveats. No peer-reviewed studies have been released, and the results have not been independently verified. Cancer specialists abroad stress that while research into cancer vaccines is happening worldwide, including in Europe and the U.S., progress is usually slow, and promising lab results often don’t translate into real treatments.
For Cyprus, where cancer rates remain among the leading causes of death, such innovations are watched closely. Still, with no published data and no international regulatory approval in sight, patients here will likely have to wait years before knowing if this Russian breakthrough is truly within reach.
*Source: Newsweek and TASS
