NYU Langone Health Study Shows Cancer Vaccine Reduces Melanoma Recurrence by 49%
A study led by NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center has demonstrated that a combination of a vaccine, intismeran, and the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) can significantly reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence and death. The phase 2b trial, known as KEYNOTE-942, involved 107 patients who had undergone melanoma surgery. The results, presented at the 2026 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, showed that the combination therapy reduced the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 49% compared to the standard treatment of pembrolizumab alone. Additionally, the combination therapy reduced the risk of distant metastasis by 59%. The study highlights the potential of mRNA vaccines like intismeran in enhancing the effectiveness of immunotherapy for cancers with high mutation rates. 
