There was the first vaccine against brain cancer

US pharmaceutical company Northwest Biotherapeutics has said it was allowed to launch the first Swiss vaccine against brain cancer. The Swiss Institute of Public Health approved the US-made vaccine DCVax-Brain for patients in some hospitals in the country since the third quarter of 2007.

Northwest Biotherapeutics also plans to apply for approval of the vaccine in the United States and Europe in early 2009 based on the second phase clinical trial being conducted in American patients.

The cause of brain cancer so far is unknown. Some factors such as age, gender and family history may increase the risk of this disease.

The symptoms vary from person to person and are often dizzy, decreased vision, motor coordination disorders, numbness in the body and memory disorders.

(Photo: AFP)

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