Scientists have found that using a new personalized vaccine combined with cancer drugs can significantly reduce skin cancer recurrence in patients. Officials are currently testing it on other types of cancer.
Foreign news agencies reported on 19 Aug 2026 GMT+7 that clinical trial results indicate combining a new personalized vaccine with cancer drugs significantly reduces skin cancer recurrence in patients. This marks a pivotal moment in cancer treatment.
The vaccine, named Intismeran, developed by Merck and Moderna, uses mRNA technology—the same used in COVID-19 vaccines—to analyze DNA from patients' tumor samples. It creates a vaccine tailored to the specific mutations in each patient’s cancer, stimulating the immune system to destroy remaining cancer cells.
In a Phase 3 clinical trial involving over 1,000 high-risk melanoma patients post-surgery, combining Intismeran with the immunotherapy drug Keytruda significantly extended disease-free survival and reduced the risk of cancer spreading to other organs compared to Keytruda alone.
The two companies are conducting similar personalized vaccine trials for lung, bladder, and kidney cancers to evaluate the outcomes.
Experts and physicians have praised these results as positive evidence that personalized cancer vaccines are effective but caution that these preliminary findings must undergo independent peer review first.
After completing trials, the vaccine must also gain approval from regulatory bodies overseeing drugs and medical systems before it can be widely implemented.
Follow international news:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:bbc