Covid shots may boost cancer immunotherapy survival
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Scientists reported at the ESMO meeting in Berlin that cancer patients who received an mRNA Covid vaccine within 100 days before starting immunotherapy lived longer in retrospective analyses. Among more than 1,000 people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, median survival was about three years for the vaccinated versus just over 1.5 years for others; similar advantages appeared in metastatic melanoma. Mouse experiments suggest the shots activate dendritic cells that help T cells target tumors. Researchers plan a Phase 3 trial, while outside experts urge caution about early, retrospective findings.
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