Effectiveness of Personalized Cancer Vaccines for Treatment of Advanced Melanoma: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective. To review the effectiveness of cancer vaccines for the treatment of advanced melanoma. Methods. Literature was collected from PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar in October of 2025, regarding effectiveness of cancer vaccines for melanoma treatment. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Results. Five studies observed a positive immune response following vaccine treatment, and six studies observed a positive anti-tumor response in patients. Three studies did not find a strong conclusion regarding effectiveness of vaccine treatment. Four articles reported an increase in survival post vaccine treatment, and none of the studies reported safety concerns associated with cancer vaccines. Conclusions. Personalized vaccine treatment for advanced melanoma may be a potential option in patients for whom standard treatments are ineffective. It is a safe option due to low toxicity, however mixed results of anti-tumor response and survival suggest the need for further research and advancement of vaccine therapy.