{
  "id": 16185870,
  "title": "Study results: Study: Does the mRNA vaccine help against skin cancer?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/studienresultate-studie-hilft-die-mrna-impfung-gegen-schwarzen",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-23T12:23:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/forschung-innovation/studienresultate-studie-hilft-die-mrna-impfung-gegen-schwarzen-hautkrebs/100264529.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "A preliminary study suggests that an individualized mRNA vaccine may reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence by nearly half (42 percent) over a span of two years following tumor removal. This study, conducted as part of a Phase-3 trial, found a 38 percent reduction in the likelihood of distant metastases during the same timeframe. However, these interim results are not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal; instead, they were disclosed by the pharmaceutical companies Moderna and MSD during a press conference at a cancer conference in Madrid. Moderna's MSD stated that they plan to discuss the findings with regulatory authorities. If approved, this would make it the first personalized mRNA cancer vaccine to receive regulatory approval in the US or the EU. However, crucial data concerning overall survival is still pending. According to Niels Halama from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), five years of data is typically required to determine whether the vaccine permanently prevents or merely delays recurrence. Thomas Eigentler from the Berlin Charité and Lennard Lee from the University of Oxford echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the primary limitation is the lack of knowledge about whether the vaccine helps patients live longer. The ongoing study generally supports previous findings from a smaller study, in which 1,137 melanoma patients who had undergone tumor removal were given standard therapy with the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and an additional nine intramuscular injections of the mRNA vaccine Intismeran or a placebo. After approximately two years, 82.2 percent of those who received Intismeran remained tumor-free, compared to 70 percent in the placebo group, a 42 percent reduction in risk. Without distant metastases, 88.5 percent in the Intismeran group and 80.2 percent in the control group remained cancer-free. Therefore, the risk of distant metastases was reduced by 38 percent. Severe side effects occurred in both groups with similar frequency. Pembrolizumab, a checkpoint inhibitor, is designed to stimulate the immune system to attack cancer cells, while the mRNA vaccine is intended to sensitize the body's defenses specifically to particular structures of the individual tumor. Tumor antigens from the removed tumor tissue were analyzed for this purpose. Although personalized vaccination may be beneficial for a few thousand melanoma patients in Germany, where there are over 20,000 new cases annually and the incidence is rising, its widespread use may be limited.",
  "summary": "A personalized mRNA vaccine is intended to reduce the risk of relapse after an operation for black skin cancer. However, the interim results of a large study leave an important question unanswered.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}