Personalised vaccine lowers melanoma recurrence risk in trial

A personalised cancer vaccine added to standard treatment was associated with a lower risk of recurrence in patients with high-risk melanoma, mbl.is reported. The vaccine is designed using genetic information from each patient’s tumour, which is removed by surgery.

The findings were presented last month at a conference held by the European Society for Medical Oncology in Madrid. Helgi Hafsteinn Helgason, a medical and oncology specialist at the Southern Healthcare Institution in Selfoss, attended the conference.

The study found that, after about two years of follow-up, disease-free survival was 70% among patients who received a placebo and 82.2% among those who received the vaccine, intismeran, alongside immunotherapy. This corresponded to a 42% reduction in the risk of recurrence at the two-year mark. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm whether the results translate into an overall survival benefit.

All participants had surgery and then received the drug pembrolizumab intravenously for one year. About one-third also received a placebo, while the rest were given intismeran by injection into a muscle every three weeks, for nine doses.

The vaccine is made after sequencing the cancer cells’ genetic material to identify mutations and other abnormalities. It contains mRNA instructions for up to 34 proteins characteristic of that patient’s cancer, making each vaccine specific to the individual.

Reported side effects were few, mainly flu-like symptoms lasting one to two days. The vaccine is not yet on the market. Helgason said approval could be expected in the United States next year, followed by Europe. Moderna, the US biotechnology company involved, has begun larger studies involving patients with several types of cancer.