Relapse

A cancer vaccine that uses the same technology as COVID-19 shots has been shown to slash the risk of tumours returning in advanced melanoma patients, ...

In the latter case, the surgeon is able to figure out exactly where the cancer stops so they don’t have to remove more skin than is necessary. A previous Moderna-sponsored study of a personalized cancer vaccine on patients with head and neck cancer saw the biotech company produce each individualized shot in around six weeks. The average age of diagnosis is 65, but it is not unusual in those under 30 either. The treatment — named adagrasib — will now be available for patients at an advanced stage of the disease that had at least one prior therapy. They were compared to a control group with high-risk melanoma who had received surgery, but only received the immunotherapy Keytruda. This in turn is supposed to trigger an immune response that can better target and destroy cancer cells. The firms are now seeking to launch phase three trials ‘rapidly’. Merck’s immunotherapy drug works by releasing the brakes on the body’s immune system so it can fight the cancer. The vaccine uses messenger RNA — the molecule that carries a cell’s instructions for making proteins. The companies are already making plans to test the vaccine on other cancers. Every shot is tailored to a specific patient, meaning no two will be the same. If successful, it could be approved within six months of the study’s end.