Vaccine breakthrough stops cancer returning in trial
Summary
A new vaccine combined with an immunotherapy drug has stopped skin cancer from coming back in high-risk melanoma patients during a trial. The vaccine works by using a patient’s own tumor DNA to train the immune system to attack cancer cells.Key Facts
- The vaccine, called Intismeran, was created by Merck and Moderna.
- It was tested alongside the drug Keytruda in over 1,000 melanoma patients after surgery.
- Patients who got both the vaccine and Keytruda stayed cancer-free longer and had less spread of cancer compared to Keytruda alone.
- Intismeran is personalized, made by sequencing DNA from a patient’s tumor to target specific mutations.
- This vaccine uses mRNA technology, similar to COVID-19 vaccines.
- Full trial results are not yet available or peer-reviewed.
- The treatment still needs approval from medical regulators before it can be widely used on health services like the NHS.
- The companies are also testing similar vaccines for lung, bladder, and kidney cancers.
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