A post from Dr. Vincent Tuohy - Cleveland Clinic

I am proposing a national initiative to develop a vaccine program that protects us against adult diseases like breast, prostate, ovarian, and colon cancer in the same way we were protected as children against polio and measles. We have a giant and obvious hole in our health care by facing adult life with no protection against these hideous, and in my opinion, totally preventable diseases through prophylactic vaccination. I am trying to make people aware of this enormous deficiency in our health care and have recently published results from my lab program showing feasibility in mice for developing a safe and effective prophylactic breast cancer vaccine.

This study simply represents a first step and is clearly prototypic and embryonic. However, I think it is feasible to develop such a vaccine for women. If we can do it in mice why can't we do it in women? The single best way (and maybe the only way) to reduce healthcare costs long-term is to dramatically reduce the incidence o f these diseases. The childhood vaccination program provides the instruction manual on how to get rid of diseases, and we simply must apply the same principles to continue vaccination against adult diseases. It is necessary that we do this as a society, that we take the next big step and continue moving forward until we have vaccines that prevent these horrific illnesses.

First, we have to believe it is possible then we need the will, determination, commitment, and resources. Breast cancer is a true and real terrorist amongst us that takes our mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and friends. It is time for us as a people to prevent this disease because prevention is the cure. Thanks to this discussion group for contacting me. I wish you all good health and much hope.