Cancer vaccine cuts Melanoma recurrence risk by 42%

US pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Merck have reported promising results from a personalised cancer vaccine that reduced the risk of melanoma returning or causing death by 42 per cent when combined with immunotherapy.

The Phase 3 trial involved 1,137 patients whose high-risk melanoma had been surgically removed. Patients receiving the experimental vaccine, intismeran autogene, alongside Merck’s immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab had better outcomes than those given pembrolizumab alone.

Professor Georgina Long, medical director of Melanoma Institute Australia and the trial’s global principal investigator, described the findings as “a foundational shift in our approach to cancer”.

The vaccine uses messenger RNA (mRNA) technology to help the immune system recognise mutations unique to a patient’s tumour and target remaining cancer cells.

ALSO READ: Africa gets new mpox vaccine lifeline as global stockpile launches

Researchers are investigating whether the approach could benefit patients with other cancers. However, the vaccine remains experimental and is not yet approved for routine use.

While the findings offer hope for personalised cancer treatment, further research is needed to establish long-term benefits, affordability and wider clinical applications.