HQ Team
June 4, 2024: Moderna’s mRNA vaccine candidate in combination with Merck Co.’s, therapy, Keytruda, showed greater survival rates and efficacy in patients with skin cancer or melanoma.
The exploratory endpoint of overall survival “favoured” the combination therapy with Keytruda compared to Keytruda alone, “with a 2.5-year overall survival rate of 96.0%,” compared to 90.2%, according to a Moderna statement.
At a median planned follow-up of the study at 34.9 months, the combination with Keytruda reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49% and the risk of distant metastasis or death by 62% compared to Keytruda alone in these patients.
The safety profile of the combination remained “consistent with the primary analysis,” according to the statement. During the trials, 157 patients with high-risk stage III/IV melanoma were enrolled.
‘Sustained improvement’
“The sustained improvements in recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival observed at approximately three years in the…study provide further support of the potential of the combination,” therapy, said Dr Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development, Merck Research Laboratories.
The companies have initiated end-stage trials in patients with high-risk melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer.
Additional mid- and end-stage studies are ongoing in patients with renal cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma and for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
Melanoma occurs when the pigment-producing cells that give colour to the skin become cancerous. Symptoms might include a new, unusual growth or a change in an existing mole. Melanomas can occur anywhere on the body.
Treatment may involve surgery, radiation, medication or in some cases, chemotherapy.
Individualised treatment
Moderna’s messenger RNA can be individualised for neoantigen therapies and is designed to train and activate an anti-tumour immune response by generating specific T-cell responses based on the unique mutational signature of a patient’s tumour.
Keytruda is an immunotherapy that works by increasing the ability of the body’s immune system to help detect and fight tumour cells.
The rates of melanoma have been rising over the past few decades, with more than 330,000 new cases diagnosed worldwide in 2022.
In the US, skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed, and melanoma accounts for a large majority of skin cancer deaths.
It is estimated there will be more than 100,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed and more than 8,000 deaths resulting from the disease in the US in 2024.
