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The COVID vaccine nearly doubled survival in some advanced cancer patients.Researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report that COVID-19 mRNA vaccination may significantly improve survival in some cancer patients receiving immunotherapy. In an observational analysis of more than 1,000 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic melanoma treated at MD Anderson between 2019 and 2023, those who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint inhibitors lived notably longer than unvaccinated patients. Median survival for vaccinated lung cancer patients rose to 37.3 months compared with 20.6 months in unvaccinated patients, while melanoma patients saw survival increase from 26.7 months to an estimated 30–40 months. No similar benefit was seen among patients who received non-mRNA vaccines for influenza or pneumonia, suggesting a unique effect of mRNA technology in this context.The findings build on nearly a decade of UF-led work using lipid nanoparticle–mRNA platforms to broadly activate the immune system rather than target a single tumor protein. In mice, combining checkpoint inhibitors with an mRNA vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein made previously resistant tumors responsive, slowing or halting their growth. Scientists hypothesize that mRNA vaccination acts like an immune “flare,” mobilizing immune cells away from the tumor microenvironment toward lymph nodes, where a more effective antitumor response can form. While the results are preliminary and not yet proven causal, they point toward the possibility of nonspecific, “off‑the‑shelf” mRNA-based cancer vaccines that could enhance immunotherapy across multiple tumor types. References Grippin, A. J., (2025). SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines sensitize tumours to immune checkpoint blockade. Nature. University of Florida. (2026, January 5). The COVID vaccine may secretly help fight cancer. SciTechDaily.