Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine Reduces Melanoma Recurrence Risk in Phase 3 Trial

Results from a Phase 3 clinical trial presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 demonstrate that adding a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine to pembrolizumab significantly reduced the risk of melanoma returning or spreading. The combination therapy decreased the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 42% and the risk of distant metastasis or death by 38% compared to pembrolizumab alone. At 24 months, 17.8% of patients in the vaccine group experienced recurrence or death, versus 30% in the pembrolizumab-only group.