GO WORLD | HEALTH & SCIENCE Researchers found signs of tumor regression in seven of 18 melanoma patients after injecting flu vaccine directly into their cancers.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (GO World) — An ordinary flu vaccine could offer a surprisingly simple way to help fight skin cancer, according to a small U.S. clinical trial that found encouraging signs of an immune response in patients with melanoma.
Researchers at Ohio State University tested whether injecting a standard influenza vaccine directly into cancerous tumors could stimulate the body’s immune system to attack the disease.
The early results were promising. Seven of the 18 patients showed signs of tumor regression, while three had no detectable cancer cells remaining when their tumors were surgically removed.
The findings were presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s annual meeting in Phoenix.
The treatment works differently from conventional cancer vaccines. Rather than developing a vaccine specifically designed to recognize cancer cells, researchers used an existing flu shot to trigger immune activity inside the tumor.
Cancer cells often evade the immune system by suppressing its response. Scientists believe injecting the flu vaccine into a tumor may disrupt that protection, attracting immune cells capable of recognizing and attacking cancer.
All 18 participants had melanoma that could be surgically removed. Each received a regular flu vaccination in the arm before undergoing two additional injections directly into the tumor.
When surgeons removed the tumors about two weeks later, laboratory examinations showed increased immune activity in most samples. Researchers reported no serious treatment-related side effects.
Ian Garbarine, a surgical resident at Ohio State who presented the findings, said the results suggest the approach deserves further investigation, particularly alongside existing immunotherapy drugs.
Unlike personalized cancer vaccines, which require expensive manufacturing tailored to individual patients, flu vaccines are widely available and relatively inexpensive.
That accessibility could make the treatment attractive if larger clinical trials confirm its effectiveness.
However, scientists caution that the study involved only 18 patients and had no comparison group. The findings therefore cannot establish whether the vaccine caused the tumor regression or whether the approach improves long-term survival.
Researchers are now investigating whether combining direct flu vaccine injections with immunotherapy drugs could benefit patients with advanced melanoma.
Similar studies are underway at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, while earlier research in Denmark found increased immune activity in colorectal tumors without substantial tumor shrinkage.
For now, the treatment remains experimental. But the findings raise the possibility that a familiar vaccine could one day serve a second purpose in cancer care.
GO World | Health & Science Desk
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