Spontaneous tumor regression following COVID-19 vaccination.

Abstract

Vaccination against COVID-19 is critical for immuno-compromised individuals, including patients with cancer. Systemic reactogenicity, a manifestation of the innate immune response to vaccines, occurs in up to 69% of patients following vaccination with RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. Tumor regression can occur following an intense immune-inflammatory response and novel strategies to treat cancer rely on manipulating the host immune system. Here, we report spontaneous regression of metastatic salivary gland myoepithelial carcinoma in a patient who experienced grade 3 systemic reactogenicity, following vaccination with the mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine. Histological and immunophenotypic inspection of the postvaccination lung biopsy specimens showed a massive inflammatory infiltrate with scant embedded tumor clusters (<5%). Highly multiplexed imaging mass cytometry showed that the postvaccination lung metastasis samples had remarkable immune cell infiltration, including CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, natural killer cells, B cells, and dendritic cells, which contrasted with very low levels of these cells in the prevaccination primary tumor and lung metastasis samples. CT scans obtained 3, 6, and 9 months after the second vaccine dose demonstrated persistent tumor shrinkage (50%, 67%, and 73% reduction, respectively), suggesting that vaccination stimulated anticancer immunity. Insight: This case suggests that the mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine stimulated anticancer immunity and tumor regression.

• Authors: Luana Guimaraes de Sousa, Daniel J McGrail, Kaiyi Li, Mario L Marques-Piubelli, Cipriano Gonzalez, Hui Dai, Sammy Ferri-Borgogno, Myrna Godoy, Jared Burks, Shiaw-Yih Lin, Diana Bell, Renata Ferrarotto
• Journal: Journal for immunotherapy of cancer (J Immunother Cancer) Vol. 10 Issue 3 (03 2022) ISSN: 2051-1426 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 35241495 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

Chemical References

• 2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273

Topics

• 2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273
• B-Lymphocytes
• CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes
• CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes
• Female
• Humans
• Immunity, Innate
• Immunogenicity, Vaccine
• Lung Neoplasms (diagnostic imaging, immunology, secondary)
• Middle Aged
• Myoepithelioma (diagnostic imaging, immunology, secondary)
• Parotid Neoplasms (pathology, surgery)