Personalised mRNA cancer vaccine cuts melanoma return risk by 42%
In short
- The randomised Phase III trial enrolled 1,137 patients whose melanoma was surgically removed but who were at high risk of recurrence.
- Patients received intismeran, an mRNA vaccine tailored to their tumour's genetic profile, combined with Keytruda.
- Full results are due to be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting in Spain.
Why the Good News Desk likes this one
The vaccine uses the same mRNA technology as the COVID-19 shots from Pfizer and Moderna. Researchers say it is designed around each patient's tumour rather than the cancer's original location. The results are from a trial, and the vaccine is not yet branded or approved, so availability remains uncertain.
From Fast Company
A breakthrough treatment for the deadliest form of skin cancer can cut a patient’s risk of recurrence or death nearly in half. The new scientific revelation is powered by an mRNA-based vaccine crafted with the technology behind both Pfizer and Moderna’s landmark COVID-19 shots. By using mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid), the vaccine can be customized for the genetic profile of an individual patient’s skin cancer, fighting tumors much more effectively than generic traditional methods. “For decades, cancer treatment has largely been defined by where a tumor originates in the body,” Melanoma...
Ask this story
📜 The story so far
- 22 Oct 2026 Personalized Cancer Vaccine Cuts Melanoma Recurrence Risk by 42 Percent Where it started.
- 23 Oct 2026 Moderna mRNA vaccine almost halves risk of melanoma returning The same Moderna melanoma vaccine trial result is now described as almost halving recurrence risk, a rephrasing of the earlier 42 percent figure rather than a new development.
- 23 Oct 2026 Personalized mRNA vaccine cuts melanoma recurrence risk in late-stage trial The same personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine's 42% recurrence-risk reduction is now reported from a late-stage trial, with the risk figure restated as death too.
- 23 Oct 2026 Moderna and Merck personalised melanoma vaccine cuts recurrence in trial The same Moderna and Merck melanoma vaccine trial is reported again, now describing delayed return and spread of the cancer in the trial data.
- 23 Oct 2026 Personalised mRNA cancer vaccine cuts melanoma return risk by 42% The same 42% melanoma result is now reported with more detail, adding that it is a Phase III trial of the Keytruda-combined vaccine.
