Pharmaceutical giants Moderna and Merck said Wednesday that an experimental vaccine treatment has shown signs of preventing cancer from returning or spreading in a study of high-risk melanoma patients. The companies have not published their results in a peer-reviewed journal or released the new data, saying instead that they will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting and shared with regulators. According to a news release, the mRNA-based vaccine was tested in a late-stage trial involving people who’d already had surgery to remove a melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. The study involved a personalized cancer vaccine called Intismeran, produced by Merck and Moderna, administered in combination with Merck’s cancer immunotherapy Keytruda.

Full report : The companies haven’t published the trial data, but they said the experimental treatment extended the time before cancer returned in high-risk patients.