Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial

FIRST ON NBC NEWSCancerCancerPancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trialScientists caution that more research is needed, but nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine are still alive six years later.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 18, 2026, 6:30 PM EDTBy Kaitlin Sullivan, Marina Kopf and Anne ThompsonDonna Gustafson had a harder time than usual shaking off the jet lag from her 22-hour journey from Florida to Australia. Two days into her trip, her skin took on the yellow hue of jaundice.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Gustafson, who is now 72 and lives in Delray Beach, Florida, went to the emergency room for fluids, thinking she was dehydrated. In a surreal moment, the Australian doctors instead told Gustafson that she had pancreatic cancer.“They were very adamant about it,” Gustafson said. “This is absolutely pancreatic cancer.”She and her husband, Ed, were on the next flight home. Nine days later, Gustafson had surgery to remove the Stage 2 cancer from her pancreas. The day before she was supposed to start chemotherapy, her doctors told her about a clinical trial exploring the use of personalized messenger RNA vaccines for cancer. It was February 2020 — months before mRNA vaccines for Covid would become one of the world’s hottest commodities. Very soon after, Gustafson was the first person to get one for pancreatic cancer.“It was a no-brainer,” Gustafson said of joining the trial. “I knew that statistically, the odds were against me.”Less than 13% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer live for more than five years, making it one of the deadliest cancers. There is no routine screening for pancreatic cancer, such as colonoscopy or mammogram, and symptoms typically don’t show up until the disease is advanced. Once detected, there are few options for treatment. Only about 20% of cases are ope...