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For the first time, an mRNA cancer vaccine has succeeded in a late-stage clinical trial, a significant advance that could reshape how cancer is treated. On Aug. 19, 2026, Moderna and Merck announced their personalized vaccine, intismeran autogene, succeeded in reducing the recurrence of the skin cancer melanoma when combined with the immunotherapy drug Keytruda. While these results could open the door to a wave of cancer vaccines, misinformation about mRNA technology circulating since the pandemic could undermine its momentum before it reaches patients.
The progress toward vaccines to treat cancer has been building for years. Since the early 2000s, there have been over 120 promising clinical trials testing the use of mRNA vaccines to treat multiple cancer types, such as melanoma, brain, breast, lung and prostate cancer.
At the same time, misinformation about so-called turbo cancer began spreading widely on social media, with mainstream media outlets first reporting on it in late 2022. Turbo cancer refers to the false claim that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines cause unusually aggressive cancers.
