Personalized mRNA vaccine plus pembrolizumab cuts melanoma recurrence risk by 42%

In a phase III trial involving 1,137 people with moderate to advanced melanoma, personalized mRNA vaccine intismeran plus pembrolizumab was associated with a 42% lower risk of recurrence or death than pembrolizumab plus placebo. Follow-up has so far been about 25 months; longer-term outcomes, including overall survival, remain under study.

Phase III trial enrolled 1,137 people with melanoma.
Intismeran plus pembrolizumab reduced recurrence or death risk by 42%.
Median follow-up was not reported; follow-up was about 25 months.
Longer-term and overall-survival outcomes remain uncertain.

The randomized phase III trial enrolled 1,137 people with moderate to advanced melanoma at 157 centres after surgery to remove their tumours. Participants received either the personalized mRNA vaccine intismeran plus pembrolizumab or pembrolizumab plus an inactive placebo. The vaccine is tailored using mutations identified by sequencing a sample of each participant’s tumour, with the aim of targeting tumour neoantigens.

The companies reported a 42% reduction in the risk of melanoma returning or death with the vaccine combination. Participants had been followed for about 25 months at the time of reporting. Trial leader Georgina Long said the treatment had not caused any major harmful side effects, but some patients did not respond to the vaccine.

The findings concern recurrence prevention after surgery, not prevention of melanoma developing in the first place. Longer follow-up is needed to assess overall survival and durability of benefit; the article does not provide detailed trial results or absolute event rates. The findings were released ahead of their planned presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting, and do not establish a change in clinical practice.

In practice

For people with moderate to advanced melanoma who have undergone tumour-removal surgery, the reported phase III results suggest that adding personalized mRNA vaccine intismeran to pembrolizumab may reduce the risk of recurrence or death compared with pembrolizumab alone. The report does not provide absolute event rates or detailed trial data, and follow-up is about 25 months. Overall-survival benefit and durability are not yet established, so these findings do not by themselves support changing treatment practice.

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Source

Nature: Moderna mRNA vaccine almost halves the risk of skin cancer returning ↗

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