A randomised controlled trial has shown promising results for an experimental mRNA vaccine designed to treat high-risk melanoma. The vaccine, when combined with the established immunotherapy pembrolizumab, reduced cancer recurrence by approximately 12 percentage points after two years.
The trial, presented by researchers at the European Society For Medical Oncology, involved 1,137 patients whose melanoma had been surgically removed but who remained at high risk of recurrence. At the two-year mark, 82.2% of those receiving the combination treatment were alive without their cancer returning, compared to 70% of those given pembrolizumab alone.
The combination treatment also led to a 38% reduction in the relative risk of distant metastasis or death. While these results suggest personalised vaccines could become an important addition to cancer treatment, it is not yet established whether similar benefits will be seen in other cancers.
Overall survival data is not yet mature, meaning it is not known if the combination helps people live longer. Common side effects with the vaccine combination included fever, injection-site pain, and fatigue. Rates of severe treatment-related adverse events were similar between the groups, but quality-of-life data is not yet available.
The findings highlight a growing focus on not just extending lives, but also understanding the quality of life for patients undergoing cancer treatments. Experts suggest that information about quality of life should be reported more rigorously in trials and discussed openly with patients.