Research On My Radar

In support of the value of research I am sharing studies and news that caught my eye this month. Whether you love a citation, or prefer a summary, I am heartened that science continues to search for clues, ideas and novel approaches to tackle cancer. 

If you are reading research that peaks your curiosity, but still have burning questions: let me know! I’m looking for Q & A topics to cover in upcoming newsletters (and live Q&As).

Study: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Boosts Survival Rate In Some Cancer Patients 

Certain individuals with cancer were significantly more likely to survive if they received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported at the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

This result was seen specifically in patients being treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, a form of immunotherapy. Based on these results, the researchers are designing a randomized phase III clinical trial to determine if an mRNA vaccine should be added to the standard care regimen for cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Grippin, A.J., Marconi, C., Copling, S. et al. SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines sensitize tumors to immune checkpoint blockade. Nature (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09655-y

Study: COVID and Flu May Activate Dormant Breast Cancer Cells https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/respiratory-infections-waken-sleeping-cancer-cells

Research suggests that the potential for “cytokine storm,” or immune over activation with COVID-19 infection can create the conditions that allow dormant breast cancer cells in the lungs to grow and proliferate. The infection prolongs the effects of IL-6, a pro-inflammatory protein that encourages cancer cell growth. IL-6 is released in large, sustained amounts during respiratory infection. The several days-weeks impact of active inflammation on the body can create conditions that are what cancer cells like to metastasize. With vaccination, a small amount of IL-6 is produced, but it resolves within a day or so. The protection that a vaccine can afford someone with a history of breast cancer can outweigh the temporary negative side effects of receiving the vaccine. 

This study gathered information from epidemiological data and mouse studies. Chia, S.B., Johnson, B.J., Hu, J. et al. Respiratory viral infections awaken metastatic breast cancer cells in lungs. Nature (2025).

News: FDA Approval of ProSense Cryoablation System

Cryoablation is a minimally invasive technique that uses ice to freeze and thaw small, cancerous tumors, and has now been FDA-approved to treat breast cancer. In women over 60 with early stage I, low-risk breast cancer, who are not candidates for standard surgery, cryoablation is now an effective alternative to lumpectomy. 

Using ultrasound to guide the path, your surgeon makes a very small incision in the breast and inserts a cryoprobe — a thin, needle-like device — into the tumor. Liquid nitrogen or argon gas is injected through the cryoprobe, forming an ice ball around the tumor. The ice kills the tumor and a margin of normal tissue around it. This can be effective for small tumors, <1.5cm. Eventually the body absorbs the dead tissue as waste and resolves it. 

Summary article: Yang M, Han B, Ye P. Cryoablation for breast cancer: a narrative review of advances, clinical applications, and future challenges. Transl Cancer Res. 2025Feb 28;14(2):1467-1478. doi: 10.21037/tcr-24-1415. Epub 2025 Feb 26. PMID:40104752; PMCID: PMC11912063.

Study: Mouse Science Explore Repurposing Drugs To Reduce Tumor Burden 

A team at Penn set out to look at whether “sleeper cell”—dormant breast cancer cells that reside in the bone marrow and other sites and once activated can lead to recurrence—may be susceptible to repurposed drugs approved for other conditions. They studied mice and their immune response to the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin or everolimus and autophagy-inhibitor hydroxychloroquine in the CLEVER trial. These drugs showed effective reduction of residual tumor cell burden. 

While we can never simply extrapolate efficacy from mouse studies, the use of repurposed drugs in this setting is curious and can demand a higher level of inquiry. 

DeMichele A, Clark AS, Shea E, Bayne LJ, Sterner CJ, Rohn K, Dwyer S, Pan TC, Nivar I, Chen Y, Wileyto P, Berry LR, Deluca S, Savage J, Makhlin I, Pant DK, Martin H, Egunsola A, Mears N, Goodspeed BL, Chislock EM, Graves J, Wang J, Shih, N, Belka GK, Berry D, Nayak A, Feldman M, Chodosh LA. Targeting dormant tumor cells to prevent recurrent breast cancer: a randomized phase 2 trial. Nat Med. 2025 Oct;31(10):3464-3474. doi: 10.1038/s41591-025-03877-3. Epub 2025 Sep 2. PMID: 40897974.

Natural Compound: Vitamin D Supplementation Improves Pathological Complete Response in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

In a randomized controlled trial involving 80 women >45 yo with breast cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was significantly more effective (higher pathological complete response rate) among those who supplemented with 2000 IU per day of vitamin D3/cholecalciferol (43%) relative to those who supplemented with a placebo (24%).  

Omodei MS, Chimicoviaki J, Buttros DAB, Almeida-Filho BS, Carvalho-Pessoa CP, Carvalho-Pessoa E, Vespoli HL, Nahas EAP. Vitamin D Supplementation Improves Pathological Complete Response in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Nutr Cancer. 2025;77(6):648-657. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2025.2480854. Epub 2025 Mar 17. PMID: 40098326.