Well, it seems that all this news about the vaccine to fight the common female cancer which is supposed to be caused by a very common virus in women, the HPV virus, has also sort of lead to a new experimental vaccine for men that may help protect them against prostate cancer, which is cancer of the prostate gland, which only men possess, and which seems to cause many problems as men age. 

Problems like difficulty urinating, and also enlarged prostate are just a few, and it is thought that these types of inflammations lead to eventual cancer of the prostate gland in many men as they get older.  While there are things men can do to help keep their prostate healthy, like eating a certain diet that is rich in antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients, and getting proper amounts of exercise, there are other ways that the medical community is looking to further help aid in the prevention of this fairly common disease of mostly older men.

What the early trials are looking like in male mice who are genetically predisposed to getting prostate cancer, is that the vaccine may target the PCSA which is a stem cell antigen that is overly expressed in men with prostate cancer.  The early results are looking positive as it is helping the mice that took the vaccine and are genetically more predisposed to get the cancer, fend it off and not get it in the first place.

What the vaccine, if it ever comes into use and is proven safe for humans, would do, is to actually expose the male’s immune system to the antigens so that they are more likely to be ready for the abnormal cell growth if it ever occurs, and the body’s own immune system would be better primed to take care of these antigens when they do naturally occur down the road. 

Just works like every other vaccine, only this time it’s about actually preventing cancer from happening, much like the HPV vaccine or cervical cancer vaccine.  Who knows, this vaccine, if proven safe and effective, may be a staple in men’s health from the time it is approved on, if all goes well.