According to a recent study, mRNA vaccine technology, which was initially meant for the treatment of cancer, could soon be used to treat infectious diseases. The study found that mRNA vaccination shots might help prevent recurrences of skin cancer known as melanoma.
The findings were presented at a conference and revealed that patients who had Moderna and Merck’s mRNA vaccination shots were 44 percent less likely to develop new tumors and were more likely to survive than those who received standard cancer therapy. Melanoma patients that are diagnosed early have a five-year survival window. However, one-third of individuals with advanced cancer do not survive.
If the findings of larger research anticipated later this year are positive for a majority of people, it will be a significant step forward for cancer vaccinations. After decades of research and failure, the mRNA vaccine may offer a tailored approach to cancer recurrence rather than cancer prevention or tumor reduction.
As per the experts, the outcomes shown in managing melanoma through the immune system can also be used to manage other forms of cancer. The following vaccination will be tested on non-small-cell lung cancer patients.
Dr. Ryan Sullivan, an oncologist at the Mass General Cancer Centre and research co-author, remarked that this is likely the first actual evidence demonstrating that this targeted method of immunization is worth investigating.
Dr. Robert Vonderheide, program chair of the committee of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)’s annual session, where the study was unveiled, maintained that the pandemic has proven that mRNA vaccines, already being researched for cancer, can be developed quickly and safely. He also remarked that this indicates a significant shift in how cancer vaccines are used.
Dr. Rodabe Amaria, a melanoma oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, noted that it is crucial to test this vaccination on melanoma as she believes that no cancer is as immunotherapy sensitive as melanoma.
