Could vaccines cure cancer

Introduction When was the last time you had a vaccination, and what was it for? Many of us get vaccinations when we are children or when we go travelling, but did you know that scientists have been developing vaccines that can be personalised to help your body keep itself clear of some specific cancer types? Georgie and Phil discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. This week's question According to the World Health Organisation, what is the most common cancer worldwide? a) lung cancer b) skin cancer c) stomach cancer Listen to the programme to hear the answer. Vocabulary a long time coming taking a long time to achieve   false dawn situation where something appears to be improving, when actually it isn't   space field of research   breakthrough significant progress in something   prime (something) get (something) ready   promise positive potential TRANSCRIPT Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.  Georgie Hi Phil.   Phil Hi Georgie.   Georgie Phil, have you had many vaccines in your life? So, these are injections to protect you from diseases.   Phil Oh, I've had loads. I had all the ones you have when you’re a child, but I've also had some for travelling and working abroad so… yeah, I've had lots.   Georgie OK. Well, many of us will have had vaccines to stop us getting common diseases such as flu or Covid 19, but could injections help us fight more complicated diseases too? In this episode of 6 Minute English, we'll be looking at some new research that has scientists very excited, and we'll be asking the question, 'Could vaccines cure cancer?' Georgie OK. Let's start with a quiz question, Phil. There are lots of different types of cancer affecting many parts of the body, but according to the World Health Organisation, what is the most common cancer worldwide? Is it:   a)    lung cancer, b)    skin cancer, or c)    stomach cancer?   Phil Well, I don't know. I'm going to guess b) skin cancer.   Georgie Well, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Phil Right. Now, this idea of a vaccine that could cure cancer sounds really interesting. Could you tell us a bit more about it, Georgie?   Georgie Well, scientists have been trying to develop a cancer vaccine for quite a long time. If you think about many existing cancer treatments, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, these have quite a few side effects. But the idea is that a cancer vaccine would help the body's natural immune system help fight the disease, which could have fewer side effects and also be more effective. Scientists are particularly hopeful about a new vaccine developed to treat skin cancer. BBC Radio 4 programme Inside Science has been hearing about the latest research. Cancer cell biologist Anne Willis spoke to presenter Tom Whipple.   Tom Whipple I guess this moment has been quite a long time coming, hasn't it? There's been some false dawns in cancer vaccines.   Anne Willis I mean, there's been a lot of work in this space, and it's all been very encouraging, particularly in the animal models, but getting this to translate into humans can be a much harder, longer process, so it's very exciting that there's this breakthrough – apparent breakthrough – that's come through today.   Phil Tom says that the development of the cancer vaccine has been a long time coming, and this means that it's taken a lot of time to achieve.   Georgie Yes. Tom also says there have been some false dawns, an expression meaning that something looks like it's improving when it's actually not.   Phil Anne says there's been a lot of work in this space. Space here means field of research – so, in this context, research into cancer vaccines.   Georgie Scientists think they might have made a breakthrough. That means they've made significant progress.   Phil And Georgie, these vaccines that we're talking about, they aren't quite like the ones that we're all familiar with, are they? This isn't a vaccine to prevent you from getting skin cancer, is it?   Georgie No. The vaccine being tested is used to treat people after they've had a tumour removed. It's used to target any cancer cells that have been spread around the body, to stop the cancer from coming back, and the vaccine is made specially for each patient by looking at the cancerous cells in the tumour that's been removed. Anne Willis explained more to BBC Radio 4's Inside Science.   Anne Willis So, cancer cells are very different from normal cells. They contain lots of mutations. So, you sequence the DNA of the cancer cell to work out how it's different from a normal cell. And then, particularly for the bits of the cancer that's different on the surface of the cell, you take those bits of DNA and then you put them into the RNA vaccine, and then they'll make these bits of proteins that get recognised by the immune system. So, it's a way of priming the immune system to the cancer.   Phil Anne is saying that the scientists work out what in the cancer cells is different and put these bits into the vaccine.   Georgie Right. The vaccine then becomes a way of priming the immune system to cancer. If you prime something, you get it ready. The vaccine basically helps the immune system get better at recognising and fighting cancer cells in the body.   Phil Now, that sounds like some really clever science here. Could it make a big difference, Georgie?   Georgie Well, more trials are needed, but scientists are hopeful. Here's Anne Willis again talking to Tom Whipple, presenter of Inside Science.   Tom Whipple Are you excited?   Anne Willis Oh, I mean, very! I'm just, you know… anything that will improve lives of cancer patients is always wonderful. And actually, seeing that this extraordinary technology is, sort of, starting to reach its promise – this is very exciting for everybody.   Phil So, Anne is excited. She says that after a long time working on this technology, it's starting to reach its promise. And promise here means positive potential.   Georgie OK. Phil, I think it's time I revealed the answer to my question. I asked you, "What is the most common form of cancer worldwide?" You said skin cancer, but the answer is actually lung cancer. In 2024, there were an estimated 2.4 million cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation.   Phil OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we learned in this programme, starting with the expression a long time coming, which means something has taken a long time to achieve.   Georgie A false dawn is when something appears to be improving, when it actually isn't.   Phil Space can mean field of research.   Georgie A breakthrough refers to making significant progress with something.   Phil If you prime something, you get it ready.   Georgie And promise can mean positive potential.   Phil Once again, our six minutes are up. Test what you've learned with the worksheet on our website. And that's bbclearningenglish.com.   Georgie Thanks for joining us and goodbye.   Phil Bye. What do you think of the new version of 6 Minute English? Email us at learningenglish@bbc.co.uk. Next Find an A-Z list of our programmes. Find more programmes for your level here.  Practise your reading skills with The Reading Room.