Cancer: Experimental mRNA Vaccine Reduces Risk of Death or Melanoma Recurrence by 42%

A personalised mRNA cancer vaccine, developed by pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Merck and used in combination with a widely used immunotherapy, reduces the risk of death or melanoma recurrence by 42% and the risk of the disease spreading by 38%, according to clinical trial data released by the two companies.

The results are raising hopes for a new era in personalised cancer treatment, as this approach is based on the specific genetic characteristics of each patient’s tumour.

How the personalised vaccine works

The clinical trial, involving more than 1,100 patients, is the first to show that combining a vaccine designed around mutations unique to each patient’s tumour with a drug that boosts the immune response can help control the disease.

The vaccine was tested in combination with Merck’s Keytruda, an established immunotherapy that is among the world’s best-selling drugs.

The treatment approach is aimed at activating the immune system so that it can recognise and fight cancer cells more effectively.

Moderna and Merck had already announced in August that the treatment had produced positive results in the clinical trial, but they did not release detailed data at the time.

The new findings are based on patient follow-up data from the first two years after treatment and are expected to be presented on Saturday at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress in Madrid.

Despite the encouraging results, the treatment approach is still undergoing clinical evaluation, while the reported reductions refer to relative risk and not to the likelihood of patients being cured.