Common Vaccine May Aid Cancer Treatment, Study Indicates
Recent research suggests that a familiar vaccine could play a vital role in cancer treatment. Specifically, for patients undergoing immunotherapy, receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine within approximately 100 days of starting immune checkpoint therapy seems to enhance survival rates significantly.
A team from the University of Florida and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center looked into data from over 1,000 individuals with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic melanoma treated at MD Anderson from 2019 to 2023.
All participants were administered immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are designed to help the immune system better recognize and combat tumor cells. Interestingly, some patients got the mRNA COVID vaccine within that 100-day window, while others did not.
The study found that those who received both the vaccine and immunotherapy lived “significantly” longer, averaging about 37.3 months compared to just 20.6 months for those who didn’t receive the vaccine. It’s compelling, right?
Notably, the best survival rates were found in patients with “cold” tumors—those generally less responsive to immunotherapy. In this group, combining the COVID vaccine resulted in nearly a five-fold increase in three-year overall survival.
“At the time of data collection, some patients were still alive, suggesting the vaccine’s effectiveness could be even greater,” the study’s press release noted.
The researchers validated their initial findings in a mouse model. Mice that received a combination of an immunotherapy drug and an mRNA vaccine targeting the COVID-19 spike protein showed tumors that were more receptive to treatment.
“This is the type of therapeutic effect we aim for with our interventions,” the researchers emphasized.
However, non-mRNA vaccines such as those for influenza and pneumonia didn’t exhibit the same positive effects, according to the study’s findings.
The outcomes were presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2025 Congress in Berlin and published in the journal Nature. Dr. Elias Seyeur, a pediatric oncologist at UF Health and a senior investigator, expressed that “the impact is extraordinary” and could potentially transform oncology treatment.
While this was an observational study, the need for randomized clinical trials to confirm these findings was acknowledged. Dr. Duane Mitchell, director of the University of Florida Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences, reiterated the importance of this research, saying, “I don’t think I can overstate the urgency and importance of doing this work.”
The research team is preparing to launch a large-scale clinical trial through the OneFlorida+ Clinical Research Network, which includes a variety of hospitals and clinics across several states. They envision the development of a “universal, off-the-shelf” vaccine in the future that could improve the immune response and survival rates for cancer patients.
“If we can double current achievements or even see a 5% to 10% increase, it would mean a lot to patients, particularly if it applies across various cancers,” Seyeur added.
This study received partial support from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the Food and Drug Administration, the American Brain Tumor Society, and the Radiological Society of North America.
