Russia close to creating cancer vaccine, announces Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday, said that his country is quite close to creating a cancer vaccine, and it could be available to patients soon.

Speaking at a forum on future technologies in Moscow, he said, "...We have come very close to the creation of so-called cancer vaccines and immunomodulatory drugs of a new generation."

"I hope that soon they will be effectively used as methods of individual therapy."

He did not elaborate on the details of the vaccine.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and is caused by the abnormal growth of cells in the body, which spread to other parts.

10 million annual deaths due to cancer globally

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly 10 million people die from the disease annually. Cancer has many types. However, the most common ones include breast, colon cancer, prostate and lung cancers.

According to the 2020 data available with the WHO, breast cancer tops the list, with 2.26 million cases reported that year. The data showed that lung cancer was responsible for the most number of deaths at 1.80 million.

India targets cervical cancer

In the recently presented interim Budget in February, the Narendra Modi government also announced an India-wide vaccination campaign to fight cervical cancer, the fourth most common cancer among women globally.

The vaccine is targeted at young girls, and the campaign will be launched in three phases over three years, likely to begin in the second quarter of this year.

According to available estimates, 75,000 Indian women die due to cervical cancer every year.