Dhaka, Oct. 23 -- A personalised mRNA cancer vaccine, used alongside an existing immunotherapy drug, has been linked to a 42 percent reduction in the risk of melanoma returning or patients dying after surgery, according to clinical trial results.

Patients who received the experimental vaccine, called intismeran autogene, together with the approved immunotherapy drug Keytruda, had a 42 percent lower risk of cancer recurrence or death compared with those who received Keytruda alone, CNN reports.

The vaccine uses the same mRNA technology that underpins Moderna's COVID-19 shot, but instead of targeting a virus, it is designed to help the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells.

It is custom-built for each patient: after surgery rem...