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FILE - In this Wednesday, April 1, 2020 file photo,People walk past posters encouraging participation in the 2020 Census in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

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FILE - In this March 5, 2020 photo, hikers head across a dune in White Sands National Park at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

The most widely used COVID-19 vaccines may offer a surprise benefit for some cancer patients by boosting their immune systems to help fight tumors. Research reported Wednesday in the journal Nature found that people with advanced lung or skin cancer lived longer if they received a Pfizer or Moderna shot within 100 days of starting a type of immunotherapy. The mRNA in these vaccines appears to enhance the immune system's response. Now the research team is preparing a more rigorous study of the potential connection, to see if mRNA vaccines should be deliberately paired with cancer drugs called checkpoint inhibitors.

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FILE - A healthcare worker prepares a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in La Paz, Bolivia, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is recovering from COVID-19, sits behind his team's bench as he watches the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)