October 21, 2025 | 05:25 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The COVID-19 vaccine based on mRNA technology, a breakthrough distinct from traditional weakened-virus vaccines, appears to have unexpected benefits for cancer patients. An analysis of nearly 1,000 patients with advanced-stage skin and lung cancers suggests the vaccine can strengthen the immune response to tumors and prolong the lives of patients undergoing immunotherapy.
A study conducted by a team from the University of Florida, USA, found that patients who received the mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors had almost twice the chance of survival compared to those not vaccinated during that period.
"The results are just remarkable," said Elias Sayour, who led the study, as quoted by New Scientist on October 19, 2025. He believes the findings open up opportunities for the future development of mRNA vaccines, specifically for cancer treatment.
However, Sayour cautioned that it is still too early to recommend COVID-19 vaccination as a standard part of cancer therapy, given the inherent risks of attempting to leverage the immune system to fight cancer. He emphasized that patients must continue to follow applicable vaccination guidelines.
These findings stem from the understanding that the human immune system is capable of eliminating many cancer cells before they become a serious problem. However, some tumors can shut down this response by utilizing the PD-1 and PD-L1 proteins, which act as "off switches" on immune cells. Checkpoint inhibitors work by preventing this mechanism and have significantly improved survival rates for patients with lung cancer and melanoma.
The effectiveness of checkpoint inhibitors varies by patient. If the immune system has not yet recognized the tumor, these drugs are less potent. Therefore, combining this therapy with a vaccine that stimulates the immune system is theorized to provide better results.
Sayour and his team discovered that the non-specific mRNA vaccine (the COVID-19 shot) also strengthened the anti-tumor response, even though it did not directly target cancer proteins. In a report published last July, Sayour's team found that the mRNA vaccine could trigger an innate immune response that works like a siren, awakening the immune system and causing T cells to move from the tumor to the lymph nodes to mount a more targeted attack.
Data Supporting the Findings
Further research on 210 patients with metastatic melanoma showed similar results. The 43 patients who received the vaccine within 100 days of starting treatment had an average life expectancy of about 30 to 40 months, compared to 27 months for unvaccinated patients. These results were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Berlin, Germany.
Previous case studies also showed that tumors can shrink after a person receives the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, even without concurrent checkpoint inhibitor therapy. "It’s certainly possible, but more research would be necessary to answer that," Sayour said.
Additional data analysis at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center also supported these observations. Among 884 advanced-stage lung cancer patients receiving checkpoint inhibitors, the 180 individuals who received the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine within the first 100 days of treatment had an average life expectancy of about 37 months, compared to 20 months for patients who were not vaccinated.
These findings have prompted plans for further clinical trials scheduled to start before the end of the year to officially confirm the relationship between the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and the increased effectiveness of immunotherapy in cancer patients.
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