The Metropolitan Hospital is one of the few medical units worldwide and one of the four special reference centers in Greece where, for the first time, the world-wide clinical study is being conducted in patients with resected high-risk melanoma of stage IIb to IV (2b to 4).

As part of the study, eligible high-risk cutaneous melanoma patients have the opportunity to be vaccinated voluntarily and free of charge at Metropolitan Hospital with the personalized mRNA personalized vaccine designed with their own neoantigens, while simultaneously undergoing classical immunotherapy.

The participation of our country in this particular clinical study is a great success, as the choice was made among many countries worldwide.

As stated by Mr. Dimitris Bafaloukos, Oncologist-Pathologist, Professor Emeritus of the University of Western Attica, President of the Hellenic Melanoma Society and Director of the 1st Oncology Clinic, Metropolitan Hospital: “We are probably in a revolution against cancer! We expect impressive results for its action in combination with immunotherapy, which has already been an important step in the treatment and treatment of cancer.”

The mRNA vaccine against cutaneous melanoma is based on the mRNA vaccine technology developed by Professors Drew Weissman and Katalin Kariko, who received the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for their contribution to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mRNA cancer vaccine is a pioneering therapeutic intervention that aims to activate the immune system in a way that will attack existing cancer cells and reduce immune escape. Today, its action is being studied in skin melanoma, while soon it is expected to be tested for lung, prostate, pancreatic and other types of cancer.

By vaccination with mRNA vaccine in combination with immunotherapy, which is now widely applied in the treatment of cancer, we strengthen and “train” our immune system to neutralize cancer cells and drastically reduce the chances of recurrence.

This international clinical study is being carried out after the announcement of the first promising results of taking the vaccine m-RNA_4157 in combination with immunotherapy with Pembrolizumab in 150 patients and reducing the risk of relapse and death by 44%.

It is noted that melanoma of the skin, an aggressive form of cancer, shows an increase in recorded patients due to various factors such as increased solar radiation (ozone hole), which affect people with a certain skin phototype and/or with genetic and hereditary predisposition.