Measles Vaccine = Cancer Cure?

Several news outlets reported today that a woman with multiple myeloma has been the first to go into full remission after receiving a "high dose" measles vaccine.  The Star Tribune and Washington Post also report that Stacy Erholtz who had been battling multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, for ten years went into full remission after receiving a single intravenous infusion of an engineered measles virus (MV-NIS).  The measles virus concentration was enough to inoculate ten million people.

Ms. Erholtz reported that it was the easiest treatment by far she had received and experienced a "bad headache" and fever which quickly resolved.  The treatment was performed last year on Ms. Erholtz and another multiple myeloma patient, both selected because they were immune-compromised.  Unfortunately, the other patient's cancer returned after nine months.

Two multiple myeloma patients were chosen because they are immune-compromised, and can't fight off the measles before it has time to attack cancer. Both had limited previous exposure to measles, and therefore fewer antibodies to the virus, and essentially had no remaining treatment options. Of the two subjects in the study, Stacy was the only to reach full remission. The other patient's cancer returned after nine months.

I am reminded of a statement that Dr. Paul Offit made regarding the theoretical antigen capacity that could be handled by a child's immune system and that was described as:

"...babies could theoretically respond to about one hundred thousand vaccines at one time."

Of course that was used by anti-vaxxers as proof that Dr. Offit was evil if he wanted to jab babies with 100,000 vaccines at one time.  But reading comprehension and honesty aren't exactly strong suits of the anti-vaxx disinformation groups.  And now, here we have an immune-compromised woman with multiple myeloma who was given enough measles vaccine that equalled ten million doses intravenously (that's "directly into the bloodstream")...

And it cured her cancer.

In all honesty, it's too soon to predict the success of this new treatment which is entering clinical trials with multiple viruses and types of cancers but for now, one woman is celebrating life cancer-free and there may be new hope for cancer treatments in the near future.