The mRNA vaccine developed by Moderna against cancer, used in combination with immunotherapy, prolongs the recurrence-free time or survival of patients with advanced, aggressive melanoma skin cancer. Data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in Florida, and anticipated in part in December, show a 44% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death in those who received the combination, compared to those who received immunotherapy alone .
In 2020, almost 325,000 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed worldwide, a neoplasm often associated with relapses. The phase 2 study on a small group of patients, coordinated by the Perlmutter Cancer Center in New York – involved 157 women and men with stage III or IV melanoma, in which the disease had been removed by surgery: 107 received the experimental vaccine (mRNA-4157/V940) – plus immunotherapy with pembrolizumab and 50 Merck’s pembrolizumab alone (Msd in Italy). After two years, 24 patients of the first group (22%) and 20 of the second (40%) had a relapse, i.e. equivalent to a 44% reduction in relapses.
Kyle Holen, MD Moderna’s Head of Development, Therapeutics and Oncology, said in a statement: “The profound reduction in the risk of recurrence-free survival suggests that this combination could be a new means of extending the life of patients with high-risk melanoma. We look forward to starting the Phase 3 trial and extending testing to lung cancer and beyond.”
Therapeutic vaccines are able to stimulate the immune system against cancer. In particular, Moderna’s mRna vaccine, developed starting from samples of the tumors removed from each patient, is based on the same technology as the anti-Covid vaccine, and teaches our immune system to recognize specific proteins, in this case those of cells cancerous. In February, the combination with pembrolizumab received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the Food and Drug Administration, the US regulatory agency (Fda) procedure that speeds up the review.
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