CLEVELAND — Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. Even after surgery, about half of patients see the disease return within five years — a sobering reality that has driven researchers to look beyond standard treatment.
Read more Anthropic races toward a Wall Street debut with a confidential SEC filing
Now, a personalized mRNA vaccine combined with immunotherapy is showing results that could change that picture.
How the vaccine works
The experimental Moderna vaccine is built from genetic material taken directly from a patient’s own tumor. Scientists identify DNA mutations in the cancer cells that cause unique proteins — called neoantigens to form on the cells’ surfaces. The vaccine trains the immune system’s T-cells to recognize and attack those proteins, hunting down any lingering cancer cells after surgery and destroying new ones as they appear.
Each vaccine targets 34 of the most promising neoantigens specific to that patient’s tumor. Once ready — typically four to six weeks after surgery — patients receive up to nine doses spaced about three weeks apart, timed to align with their immunotherapy treatments.
Dr. Jordan Winter, Chief of Surgical Oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, said the science behind the combination makes sense.
“The RNA vaccine is designed to overexpress these abnormal proteins in the tumor and allow the body to present these foreign proteins to the immune system,” Winter explained. “The immunotherapy itself brings those immune cells to the tumor. The combination of those two immunologic strategies work very well.”
In other words, the vaccine identifies the target — and the immunotherapy mobilizes the attack.
The results
In the clinical trial, 157 patients with at least Stage 3 melanoma — meaning the cancer had already spread to nearby lymph nodes or skin — were divided into two groups. Fifty received the standard treatment of surgery followed by immunotherapy. The remaining 107 also received the personalized vaccine.
After five years, nearly 70% of patients in the vaccine group remained cancer-free, compared to 49% in the standard treatment group. Adding the vaccine also cut the risk of the cancer spreading by nearly 60%.
Patients in the vaccine group also reported a better quality of life during treatment. Side effects were mild — similar to those from a COVID-19 vaccine, including chills and headaches — and lasted only a few days.
Read more Tensions linger between Republicans and White House over the ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
Why melanoma first
Melanoma has long been at the forefront of immunotherapy research, and according to Winter, that’s no accident.
“Melanoma is perhaps the most immunogenic tumor, which means that immunotherapy just works better for melanoma than most other cancer types,” he said. “It is part of the skin, which is chock full of immune cells, and so these therapies tend to begin in the melanoma space, and they’re effective.”
Whether the approach will prove equally powerful for other cancers is still an open question — but researchers are actively pursuing it.
“There’s a lot of interest, a lot of promise, a lot of anticipation, and these trials are ongoing in all sorts of tumor types, including some of the most aggressive ones like pancreatic cancer,” Winter said.
What comes next
Researchers at NYU Langone Health, who led the trial, are now analyzing results from a larger Phase 3 study involving 1,000 patients across the United States and Europe. All participants have completed treatment, and results are expected soon.
If the larger trial confirms what the five-year data suggests, experts say it could fundamentally change how cancer is treated — not just for melanoma, but across oncology.
“If this is successful, this will open up a new field that will be relevant not just to melanoma, but many other cancers,” one researcher involved in the trial noted.
For now, the five-year milestone matters on its own. Most cancers that are going to return do so within that window. Reaching it cancer-free is increasingly being seen as a meaningful marker of long-term survival.
Read more Jill Biden gives update on Joe Biden’s cancer: ‘He will live with cancer for the rest of his life’
To see more of Monica’s stories, CLICK HERE