Covid vaccines helping cancer patients?

One of the brutal pandemic in recent decades is the Covid pandemic, which originated in 2019 and took full effect in the subsequent years. Notably, the largest section of the population had to take the Covid vaccine, and it is now reported that this could potentially help several of those who took the shot.

A new study from MD Anderson Cancer Center has revealed that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines may unexpectedly help cancer patients live longer. Researchers analyzed data from over 1,000 patients with advanced cancers such as non-small-cell lung cancer and melanoma.

Those who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy showed significantly better survival rates than unvaccinated patients. For example, vaccinated lung cancer patients lived a median of 37.3 months compared to 20.6 months for those who were not vaccinated.

Scientists believe the mRNA vaccines may act as a booster for the immune system, improving how the body responds to cancer treatments like checkpoint inhibitors. Lab experiments in mice also supported this finding, showing that combining mRNA vaccines with immunotherapy slowed tumor growth.

However, researchers caution that this is an observational study, meaning it only shows a link, not proof of direct cause. Differences in patient health or care could also influence results. A larger, randomized clinical trial is needed to confirm the benefits.