Cuban lung cancer vaccine/treatment coming to US

Cuban researchers developed a product to treat cancer (esp. lung cancer, but it works on other types as well) and to vaccinate against it! It's been around since 2011, and is now becoming available here in the US, due to the embargo lift and normalized relations. (That, of course, is only ONE of the good things about Obama opening up to Cuba, but for purposes of this thread, I just want to talk about the Cancer Treatment) -

CIMAVax’s provenance in Cuba isn’t exactly surprising: The island country has long been recognized for the quality of its public healthcare system, which focuses on prevention rather than market competition for pharmaceuticals. As a 2015 report by the World Health Organization observed: “In Cuba, products were developed to solve pressing health problems, unlike in other countries, where commercial interests prevailed.”

Yeah. We are aware that pharma and physicians are working together to keep us spending (and sick but not sick enough?). It's a racket. I know that.
Nevertheless, I did NOT know that this Cuban vaccine existed. It has shown remarkable results - it works by binding itself to cancer cells and rendering them unable to grow. Cool.

Though the U.S. spends five times as much money on healthcare per person as Cuba, where healthcare is free to all citizens, the lifespan of a Cuban citizen is slightly longer than that of an American — 80 years to 79 years, respectively.

However, in a country known for its love of cigars, it’s not exactly surprising that lung cancer is prevalent. Though lung cancer rates are higher in the United States (it’s the leading cause of cancer deaths, with a five-year survival rate estimated at 17 percent), lung cancer is the third most common cancer in Cuba.

Okay, so, color me perplexed. The US has been stigmatizing smokers for decades now, and yet lung cancer rates are higher here than in Cuba, where cigars seem to be popular (who knew? ).

This story is an excellent example of what can happen when countries have socialized medicine. It DOES work, people.

CUBANS HAVE HAD A VACCINE FOR LUNG CANCER SINCE 2011, AND NOW THE U.S. CAN FINALLY USE IT (title was in all caps)

Ironically, today marks one year since I successfully gave up tobacco for the second time in my life. First time was back in my late 20s when I decided to try for children. Then I went 15 years without any at all (and also without alcohol! or anything else like it!).

When I entered graduate school, I started smoking again. Can't be a student and not smoke. (And DEFINITELY can't be a social worker and not smoke. But that's just me. YMMV.)

Anyway, retired now (semi-voluntarily) since late 2008 (right before the disaster -- was supposed to be temporary while my dad needed care before he died --- he passed two years later. Who knew I'd never again find full-time gainful employment? LOL!!!) So. Lately, the stress of just living has made me think about how much I adored smoking.

I saw this article this morning - it reminds me of something my daughter said in her eternal optimism a few years ago - ("meh, cancer is no big deal, they can cure it") a remark which she made when I was diagnosed with a melanoma. And they did "cure it" - they chopped it off of me and sewed up the excision site.

And all the browbeating about smoking really is unnecessarily ostracizing. I really wonder about the whole "smoking" thing in society. So much negativity about it in the USA. But elsewhere, they smoke up a storm!! I could go on and on about this topic, but I'll just leave this here for others to contemplate and see what else I can find.....



and try not to buy a pack of smokes today to celebrate my one year of non-smokerdom. (JK - I manage that craving in other ways)

Cuban researchers battle lung cancer with a vaccine

I would, however, like to also talk about the difference in preventive medicine as a social issue - as in Bernie Sanders and single-payer health care, which is a no-brainer, truly! - and tertiary (treating the symptoms - all too often what is done here by big pharma).

bleh.
Anyway -- this is really GOOD NEWS, folks! Yay for Cuba's health care record!!! Let's try it!

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Your confounder: since you don't inhale cigar or pipe smoke, you tend not to develop lung cancer from dip, pipes or cigars. Instead, you get mouth, kidney or bladder cancer.

a reply to: Bedlam

Good point. I just could never figure out how to "not inhale." Like, it doesn't work that way! Like gargling....I find it nearly impossible. Mouthwashes are scary that way. lol

I tried pipe and cigar - pipe smoke smells nice in the air, but tastes awful plus there's the inhaling thing. Cigars just stink.
but to the topic ---
Cubans have socialized medicine figured out!

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Oh Buzzy, I so hope this is true...I lost my beloved sister to the demon of lung cancer, and she had been smoke free for 11 years...I still believe that it had more to do with her International travel for business (China) where Asbestos containment is far behind USA standards than it did with her smoking.

Thanks for posting this.

a reply to: Missmissie173

I'm sorry for your loss. It is an awful diagnosis and a cruel death. I have been fortunate to escape any lung problems. And it turns out that many people who were NEVER smokers get lung cancer, too! I think it does have to do with airborne pollutants. And genetics.

We are aware that pharma and physicians are working together to keep us spending (and sick but not sick enough?). It's a racket. I know that.

And how would socialized medicine brake up the racket? Will the government have the ability to brake it up? Will the political class have the self control not to join in on the racket (or leave the racket as the case may be)?

originally posted by: DanDanDat

We are aware that pharma and physicians are working together to keep us spending (and sick but not sick enough?). It's a racket. I know that.

And how would socialized medicine brake up the racket? Will the government have the ability to brake it up? Will the political class have the self control not to join in on the racket (or leave the racket as the case may be)?

We'd have to ask Cuba, I guess.
But Americans spend more on health care and insurance than we should, and have less coverage and less effective treatments. If it were socialized properly, there would be no premiums and no deductibles and no high-cost proprietary drugs.

The "for-profit" thing has to be disconnected from medicine and health care. Period.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs

originally posted by: DanDanDat

We are aware that pharma and physicians are working together to keep us spending (and sick but not sick enough?). It's a racket. I know that.

And how would socialized medicine brake up the racket? Will the government have the ability to brake it up? Will the political class have the self control not to join in on the racket (or leave the racket as the case may be)?

We'd have to ask Cuba, I guess.
But Americans spend more on health care and insurance than we should, and have less coverage and less effective treatments. If it were socialized properly, there would be no premiums and no deductibles and no high-cost proprietary drugs.

The "for-profit" thing has to be disconnected from medicine and health care. Period.

You are arguing why socialized health care is better if done properly. I am asking what confidence do you have, and where does that confidence come from, that our political class would do it properly.

a reply to: DanDanDat

I am asking what confidence do you have, and where does that confidence come from, that our political class would do it properly.

I am not confident that they would -- but I am confident that they could if they tried.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: DanDanDat

I am asking what confidence do you have, and where does that confidence come from, that our political class would do it properly.

I am not confident that they would -- but I am confident that they could if they tried.

That's a fair enough answer; thank you.

In your aproximation what are the odds that could will work out in our favor? 80/20? 50/50? 20/80?

And what are the risk factors if it doesn't turn out in out favor?

a reply to: DanDanDat

I'm afraid I don't really understand your question.

If it were implemented and everyone got on board with it, it would be successful. I'm not sure what you mean by "our favor."

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Though I've long since quit it all, with both cigars and pipes the rule seems to be the worse it stinks the better it tastes. YMMV.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Where would the money come from?

You're comparing a small island to a country with 300 million people.

Think of all the tax money forcibly taken from people since "The Great Society" of the war monger Johnson. You'd think we'd have cured poverty by now, but what do we have? The same applies to health care.

It's nice to dream about and it makes you feel like a better person, but you're still handing your money to criminals in the holes they might make good use of it.

It's insane.

a reply to: TomLawless

Thank you for participating.

Your argument has been noted. Not sure which "criminals" you are thinking of. And I'm guessing you mean "hopes" not "holes"? lol for a few minutes I was thinking "criminals in the holes"?

Anyway -- there is enough money stashed in tax havens overseas to house and feed and educate every single resident in this country. If you assume everyone is a criminal, I can understand your feeling that it's insane.

I don't think that way. Not everyone is a criminal. It's just that criminals get the most press.

The main problem from my view is that insurance has become a for-profit industry, which has utterly bastardized it. A real insurance firm would be more of an escrow holder and executor. Non-profit. A stewardship of the collective contributions, to be distributed to those who need it.

Health care should not be an enriching industry. Insurance has no business being in the stock market. Their "stock holders" are the people who pay the premiums, not the ones who buy "shares." Insurance should not be making anyone rich. Ever.

Medical school is very expensive - so doctors charge a lot to pay off the debt incurred in school. Pharma can set prices at whatever they want when they have no competition. So - let's start with capping prices and doctor's fees.
In my ideal world, the people in any industry should be putting their profits back into keeping that same industry operating at optimum quality, not buying yachts. Insurance brokers should not be driving Rolls Royces. They should be keeping track of everyone's contributions.

The money would be there. It's insane NOT TO have universal health care. The "cost" of having sick citizens is much higher than it needs to be, because people don't go to the doctor, they get sicker, then they can't work, and become dependent on benefits anyway. It's retarded.

We need our populace to be healthy, fed, educated.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

My grandfather, smoke cigars all his life he died at the ripe age of 100, the only problem he developed when in his 70s was prostate cancer and that wasn't what killed him.

I am glad they are to allow life saving vaccines to be use on those that needs them.

a reply to: TomLawless

Also - here's what's "insane" in my opinion.

I have a very good friend - a man - who is married to an Intensive Care nurse. ICU. When his wife the nurse gets sick, she has to use the insurance the hospital gives its employees, which is crap insurance. She has been an ICU nurse for THIRTY YEARS, and has reached the salary max; she can't afford to go to the doctor, or to take extra time off because she's paid nursing wages. When she gets sick, she STILL HAS TO GO TO WORK, and her hospital doesn't PROVIDE CARE FOR HER AND HER HUSBAND when they need it. Last thing I'd want is a sick nurse when I'm in ICU.

THAT, my friend, is insane. If there's ONE thing that health care staff should be entitled to, it's a room in the hospital where they work. Work for Hyatt? You can stay at Hyatt anywhere for free! Work in a restaurant? Free meals for you! Airline? Flights whenever you want!
Work in a hospital? You get care. You get THE BEST care that your hospital can provide! Oh wait. no. NOPE, you don't.

Irony is: she's married to a Cuban. LOL!!!! it's not really funny, though. just ironic. In an insane way.

originally posted by: marg6043
a reply to: BuzzyWigs

My grandfather, smoke cigars all his life he died at the ripe age of 100, the only problem he developed when in his 70s was prostate cancer and that wasn't what killed him.

I am glad they are to allow life saving vaccines to be use on those that needs them.

I'm glad about it, too. Was that in Cuba - is that your native country?

I think this should be investigated more. Vaccines trigger the body to fight things, giving a vaccine to someone with a hair trigger immune system could trigger the body to fight something that is not a threat at the expense of fighting something that is a present threat.

I do not know how this vaccine works. The tobacco mosiac virus actually triggers the body to fight some cancers.

I would probably need more evidence to study before I were to judge this medicine. We are being conditioned to believe vaccines are beneficial for everyone, that is not always the case, they do not work at all on some people and harm others sometimes.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

I want you to understand that by "insane", I meant in the policy sense. Not that I think you are insane. I tend to use the universal "you" and "we" a bit much. I'm working on clearing that up.

And yes. "Holes" was meant to be "hopes".

I don't want to risk derailing your compelling thread too much, so I'll keep it short and macro.

I believe that many things need to change about our governement and the way they all conduct themselves before health care can be properly addressed.

I do believe Washington has been overrun by criminals and it's getting worse by the day. We are all so caught up arguing about which group of criminals is "less evil", the actual policies are being swept under the rug.

I believe a combination of price controls on certain things and increased competition would be a nice place to start. Break it up into states or regions. There are too many of us for one central government to handle.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: DanDanDat

I'm afraid I don't really understand your question.

If it were implemented and everyone got on board with it, it would be successful. I'm not sure what you mean by "our favor."

The Corrupt Doctors and Pharmaceutical Companies will just roll over and not try to take advantage of the new system? Their allies in our government who allow them to take advantage of the current system will shrink back into the darkness never to be seen again. Just implement it and all these issue are solved?

That opinion doesn’t seem to be based in realty.

No matter the system these nefarious entities will attempt to take advantage of it for their own gains.

My question is what are the odds that they will be able to do so?

Your argument for universal healthcare is so that we can shed ourselves of these entities so that for once the American people can prosper.

My question is what are the odds that this outcome will happen?