A new study suggests that combining the COVID-19 vaccine with immunotherapy may nearly double survival rates for cancer patients.
A recent study indicates that a common vaccine could play a significant role in cancer treatment. Researchers found that cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy who received the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine experienced substantially better survival rates compared to those who did not receive the vaccine.
Conducted by researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the study analyzed data from over 1,000 cancer patients diagnosed with Stage 3 and 4 non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic melanoma. These patients were treated at MD Anderson from 2019 to 2023.
All participants received immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of immunotherapy designed to enhance the immune system’s ability to recognize and attack tumor cells. Among these patients, some received the mRNA COVID vaccine within approximately 100 days of starting their immunotherapy, while others did not.
The findings revealed that those who received both the vaccine and immunotherapy had nearly double the average survival rate—37.3 months compared to 20.6 months for those who did not receive the vaccine.
The most significant survival benefit was observed in patients with immunologically “cold” tumors, which are typically resistant to immunotherapy. In this subgroup, the addition of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was associated with a nearly five-fold increase in three-year overall survival rates.
“At the time the data were collected, some patients were still alive, meaning the vaccine effect could be even stronger,” the researchers noted in a press release.
The researchers also replicated these outcomes in mouse models. When mice received a combination of immunotherapy drugs and an mRNA vaccine targeting the COVID-19 spike protein, their tumors became more responsive to treatment. Notably, non-mRNA vaccines for flu and pneumonia did not exhibit the same effects.
The study’s findings were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2025 Congress in Berlin on October 19 and were published in the journal *Nature*.
Senior researcher Elias Sayour, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatric oncologist at UF Health and the Stop Children’s Cancer/Bonnie R. Freeman Professor for Pediatric Oncology Research, remarked, “The implications are extraordinary—this could revolutionize the entire field of oncologic care.”
While the study offers promising insights, the researchers emphasized that it is observational, and a prospective randomized clinical trial is necessary to confirm these findings. Duane Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute, stated, “Although not yet proven to be causal, this is the type of treatment benefit that we strive for and hope to see with therapeutic interventions—but rarely do. I think the urgency and importance of doing the confirmatory work can’t be overstated.”
The research team is planning to initiate a large clinical trial through the UF-led OneFlorida+ Clinical Research Network, which includes a consortium of hospitals, health centers, and clinics across Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, California, and Minnesota.
Researchers suggested that a “universal, off-the-shelf” vaccine could be developed to enhance cancer patients’ immune responses and improve survival rates. Sayour added, “If this can double what we’re achieving currently, or even incrementally—5%, 10%—that means a lot to those patients, especially if this can be leveraged across different cancers for different patients.”
The study received support from various organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the Food and Drug Administration, the American Brain Tumor Association, and the Radiological Society of North America.
Source: Original article