A new study suggests that a COVID-19 vaccine could help treat cancer by helping the immune system recognize and fight cancer cells.
The study, conducted at the University of Florida and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, involved more than 1,000 patients with various types of cancer, including lung and skin cancer.
Among skin cancer patients, 43 men and women who received the vaccine before starting treatment lived longer than 167 who did not.
In patients with advanced lung cancer, survival time was nearly doubled, from 20 months to 37 months.
This was especially true for patients with this type of cancer, which is often difficult for the immune system to detect and fight.
Dr. Elias Sayour, a pediatric oncologist and lead author of the study at the University of Florida, said this allows the immune system to recognize these cancer cells more quickly.
“The study showed that this vaccine not only reduces the risk of COVID-19 infection, but also helps the immune system recognize cancer cells,” he said.
Dr. Adam Grippin, a cancer specialist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, said that patients who received the COVID-19 vaccine using mRNA technology 100 days before starting treatment had a better chance of survival.
“The results were unexpected, but they suggest that the vaccine may be activating a dormant immune system, giving it new power to fight cancer.”
The main reason why this vaccine works is mainly because it stimulates the immune system to recognize weak cells, including those with cancer.
In experiments on mice, researchers found that injecting the COVID-19 vaccine into the area with cancer can stimulate immune cells, sending a message that attracts cells known as ‘T cells’ to fight the cancer, causing it to shrink.
However, not all mice or people will get the same results, because not every T cell is capable of killing cancer, but the vaccine only helps normal cells in the body to recognize and try to fight cancer early.
