Melanoma recurrence risk cut by 49% by new vaccine/existing drug combo [Video]

According to the Melanoma Research Alliance, the number of new invasive melanoma cases diagnosed annually in the US increased by 27% in the 10 years since 2013. Advanced melanoma can be very hard to treat, and survival very much depends on when the cancer is detected.

From diagnosis, the five-year relative survival rate for localized, early melanoma is over 99%; for melanoma that has spread regionally to nearby lymph nodes and vessels (stage III), it’s 68%; and for melanoma that has spread to distant sites like the brain, lungs, and gut (stage IV), it’s 30%.

Biopharmaceutical companies Moderna, Inc. and Merck – known as MSD outside of the US and Canada – have announced the results of Phase IIb of the KEYNOTE-942 study, a clinical trial evaluating the longer-term effectiveness of combining a new melanoma vaccine with an existing anti-cancer immunotherapy drug.

The vaccine, developed by Moderna and called mRNA-4157 (V940), was given in combination with …