Researchers in Ohio are investigating whether influenza vaccine injected directly into melanoma tumors can help the immune system recognize cancer, an experimental approach drawing renewed attention to a familiar vaccine’s possible use beyond preventing flu.
The Washington Post reported on November 8 that doctors in a small Ohio clinical trial had injected ordinary flu vaccine into patients’ skin tumors. The approach should not be confused with evidence that a routine flu vaccination treats or prevents cancer.
Testing an immune response inside the tumor
At Ohio State University, surgical oncologist Carlo Contreras has been studying whether this local injection can stimulate immune activity against melanoma. In a 2024 explanation of the research, the university described a study examining safety and side effects in patients with early and advanced disease.
Ohio State’s earlier description of the trial said it began in 2022. Researchers hoped to stimulate patients’ immune defenses and help shrink tumors before surgery, rather than use the vaccine as a drug that directly kills cancer cells.
What the clinical trial is designed to establish
The registered phase I study, NCT04697576, identifies safety, tolerability and the maximum tolerated dose as its primary objective. It evaluates an inactivated influenza vaccine injected into melanoma lesions, both on its own before surgery and alongside standard checkpoint-inhibitor treatment for metastatic disease.
One group receives a conventional intramuscular vaccination followed by tumor injections on days two and 14, with surgery scheduled for day 28. Another group receives repeated tumor injections alongside standard immunotherapy. These are supervised research protocols, not instructions for routine vaccination.
Investigators also plan to assess changes in tumor dimensions and the time to disease progression. The inclusion of these measurements in a trial protocol does not establish that the treatment improves survival or reduces recurrence.
An experimental addition, not a replacement
The research explores whether a familiar vaccine might complement existing cancer treatment. Its promise remains a hypothesis under investigation: the accessible material reviewed for this report does not establish a proven cancer benefit or provide verified new response rates from the November report.
For now, the distinction is essential. A vaccine routinely used to prevent influenza is being tested through a different delivery method for a different purpose. That does not make tumor injection an established cancer treatment or justify replacing prescribed oncology care.
