Onkologie. 2024:18(3):204-207 | DOI: 10.36290/xon.2024.038

mRNA vaccines in the treatment of melanoma

Linda Řandová¹, Ondřej Kodet^{1, 2}

¹ Dermatovenerologická klinika, 1. LF UK a VFN, Praha

² Anatomický ústav, 1. LF UK, Praha

Immunotherapy is the crucial essential treatment of metastatic melanoma and melanoma adjuvant therapy. Despite lower treatment responses, its ability to induce a long-term therapeutic response is preferred over targeted therapy with BRAF and MEK inhibitors. One of the reasons for the failure of immunotherapy is insufficient immune system stimulation by tumour-specific antigens. mRNA vaccines bring new possibilities for more effective immune system stimulation and induction of a specific antitumor immune response. The most fundamental is the KEYNOTE-942 study, which compares the effect of a 20-antigen mRNA vaccine and pembrolizumab in completely resected stage III/IV melanoma. The initial results show a promising effect in progression-free and distant metastatic survival. However, waiting for a longer follow-up to verify these results will be necessary.

Keywords: immunotherapy, checkpoint inhibitors, melanoma, mRNA vaccine, neo­antigens.

Accepted: June 18, 2024; Published: June 24, 2024  Show citation