In a nutshell
The authors examined the long-term outcome of vaccine-treated melanoma patients. They found that vaccination was associated with better survival.
Some background
In advanced melanoma (stages 3 or 4) cancer spreads from the skin to other parts of the body. Cancer vaccines are a new treatment option for these stages of melanoma. Cancer vaccines increase the immune response to tumor cells. Results from previous clinical trials with cancer vaccines have been mixed.
6 melanoma helper peptide (6MHP) is a peptide (small part of protein)-based vaccine for advanced melanoma. In a previous trial, the 6MHP vaccine was associated with improved survival. The long-term effect of 6MHP vaccination in advanced melanoma patients needs to be evaluated to establish the utility of this treatment.
Methods & findings
The authors aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of the 6MHP vaccine in advanced melanoma patients.
There were 2 groups of stage 4 melanoma patients in this trial. In group 1, 40 patients were vaccinated with 6HMP. Group 2 included 87 patients without vaccination. The average follow-up time was 9.1 years.
The average survival time was 5.4 years for patients in group 1. This was compared to 1.3 years for group 2 patients. 57% of group 1 patients were still alive after 5 years, compared to 16% of group 2.
65% of group 1 patients developed an immune response to 6MHP. 58% of those who developed the immune response were alive after 5 years, compared to 34% of those who did not.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that 6MHP vaccination was associated with improved survival in stage 4 melanoma patients following treatment.
Published By :
Annals of Surgery
Date :
Sep 01, 2015
