Health Highlights: July 22, 2008

He and his colleagues are the first to test a plant-based cancer vaccine on people,AFPreported. It's not yet clear whether the immune response triggered by the vaccine is sufficient to destroy cancer.

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New Drug Seems Effective Against Aggressive Prostate Cancer

A new drug called abiraterone may prove to be a breakthrough treatment for aggressive prostate cancer. Scientists say the drug -- which blocks hormones that fuel the cancer -- could potentially treat up to 80 percent of patients with a deadly form of the disease that's resistant to chemotherapy,BBC Newsreported.

A study of 21 patients with advanced, aggressive prostate cancer treated with the drug found significant tumor shrinkage and a decline in levels of a key protein produced by the cancer. Many patients reported a significant improvement in their quality of life, and some were able to stop taking morphine to ease the pain caused by the spread of the cancer into their bones.

The findings appear in theJournal of Clinical Oncology.

"We believe we have made a major step forward in the treatment of end-stage prostate cancer patients," according to lead researcher Dr. Johann de Bono, who was quoted byBBC News.

"These men have very aggressive prostate cancer which is exceptionally difficult to treat and almost always proves fatal. We hope that abiraterone will eventually offer them real hope of an effective way of managing their condition and prolonging their lives," de Bono said.

Currently, the drug is being assessed in an advanced clinical trial involving 1,200 patients around the world,BBC Newsreported.

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South Korea Begins Year-Round Bird Flu Monitoring

South Korea plans to establish about 23 teams to conduct year-round monitoring for bird flu, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday. The decision comes after the country experienced its worst bird flu outbreak, which led to the slaughter of more than 8 million domestic birds.