Breakthrough cancer vaccine reduces melanoma from returning by 42%, data shows
A breakthrough vaccine treatment has been found in newly-published data to lower the risk of melanoma returning and cancer-related death by 42% when combined with standard treatment.
Merck and Moderna released new data Thursday showing that adding their personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine to the standard immunotherapy drug Keytruda, also produced by Merck, for melanoma treatment resulted in 82% of patients living cancer-free two years after treatment, compared with 70% of patients living cancer-free after using Keytruda alone.
The Phase 3 trial results included 1,137 adults whose stage 2B to 4 melanoma had been surgically removed, according to Merck and Moderna.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that begins in the melanocytes, or the cells that produce melanin in the body, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is often caused by overexposure to ultraviolet or UV rays from the sun, sun lamps or tanning beds.
Melanoma is considered to be one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer because it tends to spread to other parts of the body. Around 8,000 people in the U.S. die from melanoma annually, according to the CDC.
Merck and Moderna's vaccine is customized to each patient's tumor to help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells remaining after surgery to prevent them from coming back.
The vaccine has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The newly-released Phase 3 data will be part of the package submitted to the FDA, which could approve the treatment sometime in 2027 or beyond.
The treatment is considered relatively safe, according to the companies. The most common side effects include fatigue, sore arm and chills.
