Vaccine to be given to cancer patients with head and neck tumours

Health & Fitness
8 Aug 2025 • 1:22 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Patients in England with head and neck cancer will be fast-tracked onto a clinical trial for a potentially transformative new mRNA vaccine.
  • The vaccine uses mRNA technology to train the immune system to fight cancerous cells, specifically targeting proteins found in HPV-associated head and neck cancers.
  • Over 100 patients with advanced forms of the disease will be matched to the AHEAD-MERIT (BNT113) trial, which will run at 15 NHS hospitals over the next year.
  • This trial is the third to be run through the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, a partnership between NHS England, the Government, and BioNTech.
  • Health officials and patient advocates have hailed the vaccine as potentially game-changing, offering crucial hope for improved outcomes and reduced recurrence for those with aggressive head and neck cancers.

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