FILE-A patient gets a skin exam from a doctor during a follow-up visit after a melanoma removal at the Washington Cancer Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. (T.J.
Kirkpatrick for The Washington Post via Getty Images) A recent clinical trial finds that a new experimental vaccine can reduce the chances of skin cancer recurring.
Researchers at NYU Langone Health conducted the trial using the new mRNA vaccine and the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab.The team tested the vaccine on 157 people who had their melanoma surgically removed or were at a higher risk of having melanoma, the school said in a release.Approximately 107 patients received the vaccine and pembrolizumab, while 50 people were only given the immunotherapy medication.
Since participants in the study had their cancer tumors removed, researchers examined their cells based on their melanoma to create a vaccine for them. RELATED: Merck, Moderna share positive progress of potential skin cancer vaccineAccording to the NYU clinical trial, the mRNA vaccine combined with immunotherapy lowered the likelihood of melanoma recurring in a person or causing death by 44 percent.