Russian cancer vaccine developer announces tumor success

“Everything is fine with him. As of yesterday, no new growths had been detected,” Gintsburg said, adding that doctors use high-resolution CT scans to check for signs of cancer in the patient’s lymph nodes and throughout his body.

Gintsburg said the first patient occasionally developed a fever of 38-38.5C during treatment, which subsided within hours after taking standard fever-reducing medication. A second patient, now halfway through treatment, has experienced no fever, he added.

Six patients have received the vaccine so far, with 20 expected to undergo treatment at the Herzen institute by the end of the year. The program is also set to expand to other Russian regions.

The treatment is covered by Russia’s compulsory health insurance system, with the production of each personalized vaccine and the full course of therapy costing around 7 million rubles ($84,400) per patient, according to Gintsburg.