An Australian-led trial of an mRNA cancer vaccine has been found to significantly decrease the risk of recurring melanoma and skin cancer-related deaths, with researchers describing the finding as a “moon landing” moment.
The Phase 3 trial involved 1137 “high risk” melanoma patients who were given pembrolizumab — an immunotherapy cancer medication.
Of the 1137 participants, two thirds also received a personalised mRNA therapeutic vaccine, whilst a third were given a placebo injection.
Incredibly, the trial found that 82 per cent of participants who received both treatments were alive and cancer-free after two years, compared to just 70 per cent who only received pembrolizumab.
The dual treatment of both medications also reduced the risk of melanoma spreading to other parts of the body by nearly 40 per cent, according to Moderna and Merck.
Australian mRNA Cancer Vaccine Hub Director associate professor Seth Cheetham described the finding as an “incredible breakthrough” in cancer research.
“This is the first really large trial that’s shown definitively that this technology works, it reduces the risk of recurrence or spread and results in better outcomes compared to standards of care.
“This is really the gold standard, and it’s what the entire field has been waiting on.
“It really is the antithesis of a one-size-fits-all approach, which has dominated cancer care for a long time. It’s pioneering a new kind of medicine, in which we are looking at each tumour individually and crafting a unique treatment for it.”
Principal Investigator professor Georgina Long said the trial was a “very, very big leap forward in cancer.”
“It’s all the cliches: a landmark moment, moon landing, first flight — it really is a foundational shift.”
The trial will be presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology on Sunday.
The results of the trial have also been accepted for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine.