A new treatment strategy for melanoma patients cuts the risk of the skin cancer recurring within five years nearly in half, researchers at New York's NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center announced Monday. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and most recurrences develop within the first two to three years after treatment, though it can recur even after a decade, according to the AIM at Melanoma Foundation.
Promising Results from Vaccine-Drug Combination
The key is an experimental vaccine made by the American biotech company Moderna. Patients who took both that vaccine, known as intismeran, and Merck's cancer drug Keytruda had better outcomes after their tumors were surgically removed. Of 107 American and Australian patients receiving the vaccine, nearly 69 percent remained cancer-free after five years, while only 49 percent of patients on Keytruda alone achieved the same result.
“This means that adding intismeran to [Keytruda] reduced the risk for recurrence or death by 49 percent,” NYU Langone stated. The combination also reduced the risk of cancer spreading elsewhere in the body by 59 percent, and there was a more than 20 percent improvement in survival rates for those receiving the vaccine.
How the Treatment Works
Intismeran is an mRNA vaccine that triggers the immune system to target cancer cells, even after the cancer is gone. Researchers analyzed patients' tumors post-surgery to create a personalized vaccine for each individual, stimulating the production of protective T-cells. These T-cells seek out abnormal proteins produced by cancer cells, known as neoantigens, to better identify evasive cancer cells.
Keytruda helps make elusive cancer cells more visible to the immune system. However, while Keytruda is commonly used to treat melanoma, it does not work for all patients. Melanoma cells can become resistant to cancer drugs, which is why researchers are exploring vaccine-based approaches.
Future Implications
“Our findings also serve as encouragement to cancer researchers globally that mRNA vaccines like intismeran could work well in combination with immunotherapy for other cancers whose high rates of mutations have proven difficult to target,” said Dr. Janice Mehnert, associate director of clinical research at the cancer center. A Phase 3 trial involving 1,000 patients is underway for melanoma, and the vaccine is being tested for its efficacy in preventing recurrence of lung and other cancers.
Skin cancer remains the most common form of cancer in the United States. An estimated 112,000 new melanoma cases and 8,500 deaths are expected this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
