Immunotherapy
Immune drug reduces risk of Merkel cell carcinoma spread
A large clinical trial has shown that the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab may help prevent the deadly spread of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer, after surgery. While it did not significantly reduce overall recurrence rates, the treatment lowered the risk of distant metastases by 42%. The findings offer hope for patients facing this fast-developing disease.
Weaponised CAR T-cell therapy eradicates prostate tumours in mice
Researchers have developed a modified CAR T-cell therapy that completely eliminated large solid prostate tumours in mice, offering hope for treating solid cancers in humans. The approach localises immune-stimulating proteins to tumours, avoiding damage to healthy tissues. Clinical trials could begin within two years.
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines linked to longer survival in some lung and skin cancer patients on immunotherapy
Heather Vogel Faktatarkistettu
A large retrospective study from the University of Florida and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, published in Nature, reports that patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer or metastatic melanoma lived significantly longer if they received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 mRNA shot within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint inhibitors. The authors stress the findings are observational and will require confirmation in randomized trials.
COVID mRNA vaccine boosts survival in advanced cancer patients
A new study shows that cancer patients with advanced lung or skin cancer who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy lived significantly longer than those who did not. Researchers from the University of Florida and MD Anderson Cancer Center presented the findings at the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Berlin. The results suggest the vaccine acts as a nonspecific immune booster, potentially revolutionizing cancer treatment.
UMass Amherst nanoparticle vaccine prevents cancers in mice
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a nanoparticle-based cancer vaccine that prevented melanoma, pancreatic, and triple-negative breast cancers in mice. Up to 88% of vaccinated mice remained tumor-free, with the vaccine also stopping metastasis. The approach uses a 'super adjuvant' to trigger strong immune responses.