Results of Skin Cancer Vaccine Trials Excite Doctors

The trial of the first cancer vaccine aimed at preventing the recurrence of a type of skin cancer known as melanoma has yielded results that doctors have described as "very impressive." On Tuesday, June 4, it was announced that data presented at the world's largest cancer conference indicates significant progress in combating melanoma recurrence. According to this data, patients who received this vaccine after having their melanoma removed had a 49% lower risk of death or disease recurrence over three years. Reports indicate that the vaccine's effectiveness in preventing death or recurrence of this type of cancer has excited doctors. Melanoma is a type of malignant skin tumor, and according to 2020 statistics, over 150,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with it each year. The new vaccine against the recurrence of melanoma uses the same mRNA genetic technology as Moderna's COVID vaccine but is custom-made for each individual patient. Scientists analyze the surgically removed tumors of each patient using artificial intelligence to obtain specific characteristics and information about that individual's tumor. This information is then placed in a solution and injected as a vaccine, informing the patient's immune system of the specific "address" or "barcode" of the cancerous tumor. Consequently, the patient's immune system, armed with this information, is able to detect and track cancer cells, attacking and destroying them. Thus, this vaccine is custom-made for each individual. This vaccine is developed by Moderna and its partner Merck, which is used in combination with the best-selling drug "Keytruda" to combat cancer. According to new data, this combination also reduces the risk of melanoma spreading to other parts of the body by 62%. Merck and Moderna, who have been collaborating since 2016, are conducting the final stage study of their vaccine combined with the "Keytruda" drug.