A new cancer treatment tailored to each patient's tumour has reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 42% in a phase 3 clinical trial by Moderna and Merck. The treatment was tested alongside Keytruda in a study of 1 137 patients. The results were announced on 22 October 2026.
According to the companies, 82.2% of patients who received the combination showed no cancer recurrence after two years, compared with 70% of those who received Keytruda and a placebo. The treatment, intismeran autogene, uses mRNA technology and is tailored to the genetic characteristics of each patient's tumour to help the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells.
Research continues to determine the long-term benefits. The treatment is still in the testing phase and must receive regulatory approval before it can become widely available.
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Sources: Merck and Moderna, Moderna
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
