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Cancer research

mRNA Vaccines Show Promise in Fighting Cancer

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A team of researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has discovered that mRNA vaccines, widely used to combat COVID-19, may also enhance the immune system's ability to recognize and attack cancer tumours. Studying medical records of cancer patients who received mRNA shots for COVID-19 before starting immunotherapy, the researchers found a striking pattern: vaccinated patients lived significantly longer than those who had not received the shots.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study reveals that mRNA vaccines do not just prevent infection but also "wake up" the immune system to fight tumours.
  • The researchers found that people who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy lived significantly longer than those who received the same medical treatment but did not have the vaccine.
  • The median survival rate for patients with advanced lung cancer nearly doubled if they had the vaccine, rising from 20.6 months to 37.3.
  • The survival improvements were most pronounced in patients with immunologically "cold" tumours, turning them into ones the immune system could more easily recognise and attack.
  • The researchers also found that mRNA vaccines can re-programme immune responses to cancer, creating the ideal situation for the body's defences to attack cancer cells.
  • The study suggests that mRNA vaccines can be used to make dendritic cells more likely to notice a tumour and effectively deploy T cells.
  • The implications of the findings are extraordinary, and the researchers believe that mRNA vaccines could revolutionise the entire field of oncologic care.
  • A Phase 3 clinical trial is being launched to confirm the initial results and investigate whether COVID mRNA vaccines should be made part of the standard of care for patients.

Statistics:

  • The median survival rate for patients with advanced lung cancer nearly doubled from 20.6 months to 37.3 if they had the vaccine.
  • Nearly 43 patients had an mRNA COVID vaccine, compared to 167 patients who did not receive the vaccine.
  • Patients who received the vaccine before starting treatment had not yet reached their median survival point more than three years into follow-up.
  • The researchers found a striking pattern of longer survival among vaccinated patients, with median survival periods of over three years compared to less than two years for those who did not receive the vaccine.

Sources:

  • (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09655-y)
  • (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/9/how-rfk-jrs-vaccine-funding-cuts-fit-with-trumps-vision)

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