Cancer Vaccines

At the UK Markey Cancer Center, we’re harnessing the latest research to develop and test new cancer vaccines. These treatments can be game changers for many people with cancer, helping them live longer and healthier lives. 

How Markey is breaking new ground in cancer vaccine development

Developing cancer vaccines isn’t easy, but we’re ready for the challenge. 

Markey is Kentucky's NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center. The NCI designation is an honor earned by select institutions shaping all aspects of cancer treatment, research and prevention. 

We’re one of the few health systems in the nation offering groundbreaking clinical trials for pancreatic and lung cancer vaccines. These two cancers are extremely difficult to treat, especially in later stages. We’re also in the early stages of researching vaccines for blood cancers.

We go through a stringent process before we can offer vaccine clinical trials. Markey has a proven track record of conducting clinical trials and caring for participants. This success makes us a top site for research into these potentially lifesaving treatments. 

TYPES OF
CANCER VACCINES

There are two main types of cancer vaccines. 

Therapeutic cancer vaccines

You get a therapeutic cancer vaccine after you have cancer. Cancer cells often find ways to get around the immune system’s response. Therapeutic vaccines train the immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells. Therapeutic cancer vaccines may stop tumors from growing or returning after treatment or eliminate tumors.

Therapeutic cancer vaccines are available through FDA-approved treatment or through clinical trials. Options at Markey include:

• Prostate cancer vaccine: This FDA-approved vaccine treats prostate cancer that has spread. 
• Pancreatic cancer vaccine: This clinical trial tests a personalized mRNA vaccine to treat pancreatic cancer after tumor removal. 
• Lung cancer vaccine: This clinical trial tests a nonsmall cell lung cancer vaccine. The vaccine teaches the immune system to recognize markers responsible for 85% of all lung cancers. 

Preventive cancer vaccines

You get a preventive cancer vaccine before you have cancer, like you would a flu shot. These cancer vaccines lower your risk of developing cancer. They do this by preventing viruses that cause cancer. The two available preventive cancer vaccines are:

• HPV vaccine: This vaccine prevents certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV infection can cause several cancers, including cervical, anal, head and neck, penile, vaginal and vulvar. 
• HBV vaccine: This vaccine stops hepatitis B (HBV). HBV can lead to a long-term infection, increasing your risk of liver cancer. The vaccine lowers your odds of getting liver cancer.