Experimental Vaccine Keeps Kidney Cancer Patients Cancer-Free for Three Years

A personalized cancer vaccine shows promise in a Phase I trial, generating strong immune responses and preventing recurrence in all nine participants.

The Phase I trial, conducted at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, tested a personalized cancer vaccine on nine patients with stage III or IV kidney cancer, all of whom remained cancer-free after a median follow-up of 34.7 months.
The vaccine targets neoantigens—mutant proteins unique to cancer cells—using tumor samples from each patient to train their immune systems to recognize and attack the cancer.
Patients experienced strong immune responses, with vaccine-induced T cells increasing 166-fold within three weeks and remaining active for up to three years.
The treatment was well-tolerated, with only mild side effects such as injection site reactions and temporary flu-like symptoms, contrasting with more severe complications seen in current immunotherapies.
Researchers are now conducting a larger international trial combining the vaccine with pembrolizumab to further test its effectiveness and safety before seeking FDA approval.