A cancer vaccine containing dendritic cells (DCs) that are transfected with messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and survivin in addition to patient-specific melanoma-derived mRNA with potential immunostimulatory and antineoplastic activities. Upon administration, hTERT/survivin/melanoma tumor cell-derived mRNA-transfected dendritic cell vaccine may elicit a highly specific cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) response against melanoma cells expressing hTERT, survivin, and patient-specific melanoma-associated antigens. hTERT, the catalytic subunit of human telomerase, and survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family of proteins, may be upregulated in certain tumor cell types, playing key roles in tumor cell growth and survival.