Study links Covid vaccine to the efficiency of cancer treatment
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The development of Covid-19 vaccines may have done well for health aspects beyond a coronavirus infection. A new study has found that Covid vaccines can help improve the efficiency of cancer treatment.
Experts at the Universities of Bonn and Shanxi found that nasopharyngeal cancer drugs started working better after patients received Covid vaccination. Nasopharyngeal cancer affects the throat. Findings suggest that no changes were observed in unvaccinated cancer patients.
In an official statement from the University of Bonn, experts said many cancer cells can subvert the body's immune response. "They do this by pushing a kind of button on the immune cells, the PD-1 receptor. In this way, they effectively shut down these endogenous defence forces. Drugs can be used to block PD-1 receptors. This enables the immune system to fight the tumour more effectively," reported NDTV.
Dr. Jian Li of the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Experimental Immunology (IMMEI), observed that Covid vaccination is also stimulating an immune response involving the PD-1 receptor. "It was feared that the vaccine would not be compatible with anti-PD-1 therapy. This risk is especially true for nasopharyngeal cancer, which, like the SARS Cov-2 virus, affects the upper respiratory tract," she told Science Alert.
Vaccinated patients are also experiencing less severe side effects of cancer treatment.