Trial: Personalised Vaccine Cuts Melanoma Recurrence Risk by 42%

Personalised mRNA Vaccine and Keytruda Cut Melanoma Recurrence and Death Risk by 42 Percent

A personalised mRNA cancer vaccine administered alongside the immunotherapy drug Keytruda reduces the risk of patients dying or melanoma returning by 42 per cent, according to phase three clinical trial results. The Independent reported that the international study tracked more than 1,100 adults to test the combination therapy against the most aggressive form of skin cancer.

Phase Three Trial Tracking 1,137 Patients With Melanoma

The international clinical trial evaluated 1,137 adult patients diagnosed with melanoma, which accounts for approximately 2,600 deaths each year in the UK. Standard survival rates show that roughly one-third of patients with the worst form of the disease live for five years following diagnosis. To test whether an individualized vaccine could improve these outcomes, researchers administered Keytruda—an immunotherapy medication that helps the immune system find and attack cancer cells—to all participants in the trial. About two-thirds of the cohort also received the experimental vaccine, while the remaining participants received a placebo injection.

The experimental vaccine, designated Intismeran, is custom-built for each individual patient using cells from their own tumour. This allows the vaccine to train the patient’s immune system to target cancer cells that need to be targeted following surgical removal. Two years after starting the treatment regimen, 82.2 per cent of patients who received the vaccine combined with Keytruda remained cancer-free. By comparison, only 70 per cent of patients who received Keytruda alone maintained a cancer-free status. The combined approach also cut the risk of melanoma spreading by 38 per cent over the two-year observation window.

Oncologists and Clinical Trial Participants React to Results

Medical professionals involved in the research celebrated the findings as the start of a new era for personalised cancer vaccines. Professor Pippa Corrie, a consultant medical oncologist who helped run part of the study at Addenbrooke’s Hospital through Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, stated that the technology stimulates a patient’s own immune system to recognise and attack residual tumour cells post-surgery. Trial participant Tony Chapman, a 75-year-old retired businessman from North Northamptonshire, completed his treatment at the NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility after undergoing surgery for stage three cancer. Although blinded to whether he received the vaccine or the placebo, Mr Chapman remains cancer-free following the completion of his therapy.

Future Testing Across Lung, Kidney, and Bladder Cancers

Drug manufacturers MSD and Moderna are actively testing the combined mRNA vaccine and immunotherapy approach on additional oncology indications, including lung, kidney, and bladder cancers. Independent researchers emphasize that further investigation remains necessary to determine which treatments help patients live longer and identify optimal target profiles. Alan Melcher, professor of translational immunotherapy at The Institute of Cancer Research in London, noted that while melanoma is leading the way, researchers face the ongoing task of determining which difficult-to-treat malignancies will respond best to targeted vaccine strategies. Dr Lennard Lee, associate professor of AI and cancer vaccine research at the University of Oxford, added that the trial demonstrates the potential of designing cancer vaccines around the unique genetic fingerprint of each patient’s tumour.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Personalised Melanoma Vaccine Trial

What is the exact name of the experimental mRNA vaccine used in the trial?

The experimental jab used alongside Keytruda in the phase three trial is called Intismeran.

How many patients participated in the international clinical study?

The trial tracked a total of 1,137 adult patients diagnosed with melanoma.

Which healthcare facilities and institutions helped administer the trial in the UK?

Trials were conducted at locations including Addenbrooke’s Hospital via Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility.

What were the specific two-year cancer-free survival rates for trial participants?

Among patients receiving the vaccine and Keytruda, 82.2 per cent remained cancer-free after two years, compared to 70 per cent of patients receiving Keytruda alone.

More on this story: Agerpres: Moderna-Merck Vaccine Cuts Melanoma Death or Recurrence Risk