Cancer immunotherapy research highlights vaccine effects and treatment timing

New research is challenging previous assumptions regarding the link between COVID-19 vaccinations and improved cancer survival rates. While a prior study in Nature suggested that mRNA vaccines provided a specific immune boost for cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy, a new study published in PNAS involving over 121,000 elderly patients in the US suggests this advantage is not exclusive to mRNA technology.

The data indicates that similar survival benefits were observed in patients receiving the Janssen vaccine and even influenza vaccines, suggesting the benefit may stem from general immune activation rather than a unique mRNA effect.

In a separate development regarding immunotherapy, research from the Christie NHS Foundation Trust suggests that the timing of treatment may significantly impact outcomes. A retrospective analysis of over 2,600 patients found that those receiving immunotherapy in the morning experienced substantially longer survival rates for melanoma, lung, and kidney cancers compared to those treated in the afternoon. For instance, melanoma patients treated in the morning had a median survival of 43.1 months, compared to 21.1 months for the afternoon group.

Additionally, long-term data presented at the ASCO congress highlights the success of dual immunotherapy. For patients with metastatic melanoma and asymptomatic brain metastases, the use of Ipilimumab and Nivolumab resulted in a 32 percent survival rate ten years after the start of therapy.