At the annual European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, a new report brought forward yet another monumental moment in cancer science: A Phase 3 study showed that the “cancer vaccine” intismeran autogene reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42% compared with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) alone. This is the first neoantigen and mRNA therapy to have met its Phase 3 endpoint in oncology and is part of a collection of well-conducted studies showing promise for cancer therapeutic vaccines.
The question is no longer whether personalized cancer vaccines can work. The question now becomes how to accelerate development and increase access for the patients who could benefit.