Does contracting measles prevent cancer?
By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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NO
Studies suggest that the measles virus, when engineered in a lab, shows promise as a cancer drug. But no evidence suggests that naturally contracted measles prevents cancer, and experts warn against virotherapy research influencing attitudes towards measles, mumps and rubella vaccines.
A study using mice found that exposure to engineered measles regressed ovarian tumor cells by 80%. Over 150 clinical trials of cancer patients who were administered engineered measles showed promising results for various cancers.
However, experts studying the measles virus as a potential cancer therapy say their research is being incorrectly cited as part of anti-vaccination campaigns. They note that:
- Measles killed 110,000 people globally in 2017. They unequivocally advise vaccination against MMR.
- Evidence of measles as a cancer therapy shows the engineered virus is most effective in patients who have received the MMR vaccine.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Mayo Clinic Proceedings Oncolytic measles virotherapy and opposition to measles vaccination
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