Personalized melanoma vaccine trial hailed as a breakthrough by Polish professor

More than 50 patients from Poland took part in an international phase-three trial of a personalized vaccine for melanoma. Professor Piotr Rutkowski called the early results better than expected and described them as “a breakthrough.”

The trial involved about 1,100 people and compared standard immunotherapy with the same treatment combined with an individualized mRNA vaccine. Preliminary data indicated that the combination reduced the risk of death or distant metastases by about 60 percent.

The vaccine is prepared from the patient’s tumor. After surgery, researchers analyze the tumor to identify neoantigens, features that distinguish cancer cells from the body’s normal cells. The mRNA vaccine can contain information on up to 30 of these neoantigens, helping the immune system recognize and attack tumor cells.

Identifying the neoantigens and preparing the vaccine takes about five to six weeks. Patients can begin immunotherapy during that period, with the vaccine added after roughly six to eight weeks. It is administered for one year. The approach is intended mainly for people with more advanced melanoma and a high risk of recurrence, rather than for early lesions that surgery can effectively cure.

Rutkowski said the vaccine had not produced additional side effects beyond those typical of injections, such as skin redness. If the findings are confirmed, the treatment will still need regulatory registration and reimbursement approval. Full trial results are due to be presented in October at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress.

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A breakthrough.