# Personalised melanoma vaccine cuts recurrence or death risk by 42 per cent

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/world-first-cancer-vaccine-slashes-death-risk-in-stunning-findings-led-by-aussie-scientist/
- Published: 2026-10-23T00:32:13+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:38:34+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16231693/cancer-vaccine-trial-australia-georgina-long.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Health, Medicine, World

## Key points

- Personalised vaccine plus immunotherapy cut recurrence or death risk by 42 per cent.
- Intismeran is designed around the genetic features of each patient’s tumour.
- The trial involved 1,137 patients across 157 sites worldwide.

## Summary

New trial findings show that a personalised melanoma vaccine, given with immunotherapy after surgery, cut the risk of recurrence or death by 42 per cent compared with immunotherapy alone. The result could mark a new approach to treating people at high risk of their melanoma returning, with potential implications for research into other cancers.

The trial was led by Professor Georgina Long of the University of Sydney and Melanoma Institute Australia. It tested intismeran, an mRNA vaccine tailored to the genetic features of each patient’s tumour, alongside pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda. The study included 1,137 patients at 157 sites worldwide; their melanoma had been surgically removed, and they had not previously received drug treatment for it.

## Coverage

- [Daily Mail: Personalised melanoma vaccine cuts recurrence or death risk by 42 per cent](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16231693/cancer-vaccine-trial-australia-georgina-long.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490)
- [Ars Technica: Moderna and Merck say their mRNA cancer vaccine cut death, recurrence by 42%](https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/10/personalized-mrna-cancer-vaccine-cut-melanoma-death-recurrence-by-42/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.