Cancer vaccines continue to be seen as significant progress in cancer prevention. As an example, cervical cancer vaccines have proven to be so successful in all clinical trials, the vaccines will become available for women this summer. If you watch television, you might have seen the new ad campaign directed as raising awareness for women regarding the virus associated with cervical cancer.

Now, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Arkansas Cancer Research Center has been awarded a $2.9 million federal grant to study a new type of carbohydrate-targeting vaccine to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer. One important carbohydrate present on breast cancer cells is the Lewis Y, LeY, antigen. The vaccine would provide antibodies to LeY that have been shown effective in killing breast cancer cells. According to the researchers, previous clinical studies have shown that the survival rate for cancer patients with other types of cancer increases with carbohydrate-targeting antibodies. Before now, this has not been tested in regard to breast cancer. Won't it be nice, if one day, preventing some cancers is a matter of getting properly vaccinated.