Melanoma Treatment Gets a New Twist: A Vaccine Tailored to Your Cancer
It's possible that one day, treating cancer could be more tailored than ever before. A new vaccine currently in clinical trials for melanoma, a form of skin cancer, has had positive outcomes in a large trial. What's unique about this vaccine is that it's individually tailored to the patient's own cancer rather than the same for everyone. When used in combination with a currently approved cancer drug, it prevented more people from recurring after surgery. But here's the catch: the vaccine is still in trials.
So, What Is This New Cancer Vaccine?
The vaccine, known as V940, is being created by the pharmaceutical industry. Instead of shielding us from disease, this vaccination is meant to aid our bodies in combating cancer. The tumor removed during surgery is analyzed, and the mutations found in it are used to build a vaccine matched to that one person’s cancer. It's taken in combination with a current disease treatment called Pembrolizumab.
What Did the Latest Trial Actually Find?
The trial enrolled 1,137 participants who had their skin melanoma removed by surgery. Two years into the study, 82 of every 100 patients who received the vaccine and Pembrolizumab were alive and had not seen their cancer come back, versus 70 of every 100 patients who received only Pembrolizumab. That means the vaccine appeared to boost a patient's chance of remaining cancer-free. The researchers also found fewer cases of the cancer returning or the patient dying during the trial. The researchers say they're pleased, but we still don't know if the vaccine extends a patient's overall lifespan.
Why Is This mRNA Vaccine Different From Other Treatments?
Occasionally, following a surgical removal of the cancer, the disease returns. This is often due to the fact that some of the cancer cells are too small to be seen. The mRNA vaccine aims to train the body's natural defence system to recognize what that particular person's cancer looks like. You've heard of mRNA from COVID-19 vaccines, but now the technology is being studied as a way to treat cancer, too. In fact, it is similar to taking a more detailed photograph for your natural defence system, to give it a more specific image to target. As the tumour may be different in each individual, the vaccine is made using information from your own cancer.
Are There Any Side Effects?
This vaccine combo, like other cancer treatments, has potential side effects. Some patients developed fatigue, fever, or soreness at the injection site. In addition, Pembrolizumab, the drug used in combination with the vaccine, may trigger the immune system to attack healthy organs and tissues. All patients require careful monitoring while on treatment, and researchers are actively following up on patients to determine longer-term safety.
Is This Vaccine Available to the Public Now?
Not yet. While this large trial has been promising, the vaccine has yet to earn FDA approval as an everyday treatment for melanoma. Researchers and the companies who are developing it still have a regulatory process to go through. If the vaccine makes it to people's homes, it is likely to be approved to treat some people who had melanoma removed but are at risk of getting it again.
The good news here is that an individualized cancer vaccine, tailored to the specific differences in a person's tumor, may be able to reduce the likelihood that melanoma will come back after surgery. More patients who got the vaccine plus Pembrolizumab still had no recurrence of the disease two years later compared to those who got Pembrolizumab on its own. That's promising, but more information about the duration of the benefits and the adverse events is essential.
