A historic leap in cancer vaccines – here’s what you need to know

This article has been updated.

The launch of the world’s first trial for a cancer vaccine is not just groundbreaking in the field of medicine – but for the future of hundreds of millions of people in the 21st Century. This first-of-its kind vaccine is personalized to each patient and the culmination of many decades of research.

The new NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform that will speed up access to a tailored cancer vaccine clinical trial for people who have been diagnosed with cancer – and accelerate the development of cancer vaccines.

A cancer vaccine could have a vastly significant impact worldwide. Overall, 10,000 people could receive bespoke cancer treatments on the UK National Health Service, the world’s largest publicly funded health service, by 2030. This would mark a major step towards dramatically reducing cancer rates worldwide in the coming decades.

Cancer is a leading cause of mortality globally, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The most common cancers are breast, lung, colon and rectum and prostate cancers and 20 million new cancer cases of all types were identified in 2022 alone.

Vaccines can have a transformative effect on global health. They have been in development for 228 years, with the first successful dose administered by Dr Edward Jenner to protect against smallpox in 1796. Since then, the rate of research into vaccinations for many diseases affecting people all over the world has soared.

In the last 50 years alone, vaccines have saved the lives of 154 million people worldwide – 65% of whom were infants. This number could climb significantly if the NHS’ cancer vaccine trial proves effective and is widely distributed.

The cancer vaccine is not given to patients to prevent cancer happening, but to patients with existing tumours – making it different from other vaccines. It is designed to help our immune systems recognize what cancer cells “look like”. This revolutionary form of immunotherapy then helps the body recognize, destroy and prevent the spread of existing cancer cells.

Thousands of cancer patients in England will gain fast-tracked access to the trial, a “matchmaking” service to help find new life-saving treatments, the NHS said. The first patient was given the vaccine to treat bowel cancer.

In October 2024, researchers from the UK's University of Oxford were awarded funding to create the world’s first vaccine to prevent ovarian cancer.

OvarianVax is a vaccine which teaches the immune system to recognize and attack the earliest stages of ovarian cancer, which affects 7,500 women in the UK each year.

Preventive cancer vaccines exist that target viruses known to cause certain types of cancer.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, such as Gardasil, is FDA-approved and protects against several HPV-related cancers, including cervical cancer.

This vaccine works by stimulating the immune system to recognize and fight off HPV long peptides and HPV-related antigens, significantly reducing the risk of HPV-related cancers.

Similarly, the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine, like Heplisav-B, helps prevent HBV-related liver cancer by protecting against viral infections that can lead to chronic liver disease and cancer.

While cancer vaccines are generally well-tolerated, they can cause side effects as the immune system responds to the treatment.

Common reactions include flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue, and headache[. Some patients may experience myalgia (muscle pain), joint aches, and back pain.

It's important to note that these reactions are typically mild and short-lived, often resolving on their own.

However, patients should be aware of potential side effects like prolonged fatigue and report any concerning symptoms to their healthcare provider.

The benefits of cancer vaccines in targeting specific cancer proteins generally outweigh the risks of side effects for most patients.

The quality of healthcare is strongly affected by the country you live in – and cancer treatments are no different.

For example, one in 12 women living in wealthier nations will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime – and one in 71 women will die from it, according to the WHO. But in poorer nations, one in 27 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime – but 48 women will die from it.

Breast and cervical cancer currently constitute over half the cancer burden for women in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Global Alliance for Women's Health, a World Economic Forum initiative supported by Siemens Healthineers, launched a Cervical and Breast Cancer Coalition on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly. It will enable health ministers to access a global network of experts and resources, organize in-country workshops for peer-to-peer exchanges, and assist in identifying gaps and challenges to support public health objectives.

The global gap in access to medical facilities is stark, says the WHO. For example, lung cancer-related services can be up to seven times more likely to be included in a health benefits package in a high-income country than in a low-income country. Stem-cell transplantation is 12 times more likely in wealthier nations.

Such figures can have a far-reaching impact, especially when 4.5 billion people do not have access to essential health services and half of the global population lives on less than $6.85 per person per day.

Shaping a more equitable world for health and wellbeing is vital to enabling the world’s 8 billion people to live safer and happier lives – a key focus for the World Economic Forum’s Global Health Equity Network.

Technology is playing a central role in research and development to achieve more health equity, including the rising use of artificial intelligence – a key tool in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.