Community Corner

Massive Dose of Measles Vaccine Wipes Out Woman's Cancer

Case demonstrates potential for single-shot cure for cancer.

A woman whose cancer had spread throughout her body went into complete remission after receiving a super dose of the measles virus.

Stacy Erholtz, 50, of Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, was given enough measles vaccine to inoculate tens of millions of people in a trial conducted by the Mayo Clinic, the Star Tribune reported.



Dr. Stephen Russell, a professor of molecular medicine, said the experiment provides some evidence that viral therapy can kill cancer.

"It's a landmark," Russell said to the Star Tribune. "We've known for a long time that we can give a virus intravenously and destroy metastatic cancer in mine. Nobody's shown that you can do that in people before [now]."

Erholtz had battled multiple myeloma for a decade – an incurable cancer of the blood. A video on Erholtz's story is attached to this post. Erholtz had been subjected to every known chemotherapy drug and under gone two stem cell transplants – but none of the treatments worked for any length of time.

"It's a very simple concept," Russell said. "Virus naturally come into the body and destroy tissue."

More than six months after the treatment, Erholtz remains cancer free.

"I think it's just remarkable," Erholtz said. "Who would have thought?"

The measles virus, apparently, gets cancer cells to join together and explode, the Mayo Clinic video states. Doctors also believe the treatment might stimulate the patient's immunity system to better identify and fight the cancer cells.

The strain of measles used is the same used in vaccinations.

"We recently have begun thinking about the idea of a single shot cure for cancer," Russell said. "And that is our goal with this therapy."


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