First personalised cancer vaccine cuts risk of disease returning in major trial
Summary
A new personalized cancer vaccine combined with immunotherapy has lowered the chance of melanoma skin cancer returning or spreading by about 40% in a large clinical trial. The vaccine uses technology similar to some COVID-19 vaccines and is tailored to each patient’s tumor.Key Facts
- The trial involved 1,137 melanoma patients who had surgery to remove tumors.
- Patients received the immunotherapy drug Keytruda, and about two-thirds also got the new vaccine called Intismeran.
- The vaccine is personalized using mRNA technology, which teaches the immune system to spot and attack cancer cells.
- After two years, those getting the vaccine had 42% less risk of dying or cancer returning and 38% less risk of the cancer spreading.
- The vaccine approach is also being tested on other cancers like kidney, bladder, and lung cancer.
- Independent experts said longer studies are needed to confirm if it helps patients live longer overall.
- Drug companies MSD and Moderna plan to ask regulators to approve the vaccine as early as next year.
- Cost and the need for genetic analysis of each tumor will affect how widely the vaccine can be used.
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