Combined treatment of melanoma
New therapy cured patients with inoperable skin cancer
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
The new approach is based on viral exposure in combination with immunotherapy, which has so far been effective in no more than a third of patients with melanoma and then only to reduce tumor growth. Now clinical studies have shown that the combined approach has completely cured every fifth patient and improved therapeutic indicators in half of the participants.
Scientists presented the results of the first phase of clinical trials, which involved 36 men and women with inoperable melanoma, writes EurekAlert. The combined treatment consisted of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab and an experimental drug based on the Coxsackie virus V937.
The so–called oncolytic viruses are aimed at infecting and destroying cancer cells - during treatment, for example, with immunopreparations, they enhance their effect and help the immune system detect and destroy malignant cells.
It has long been known that in some cancer patients who also suffer from certain viral infections, for example, measles or herpes, the tumor can unexpectedly shrink. It was this idea that inspired scientists for many years to develop a treatment based on this phenomenon.
It is believed that without the auxiliary action of oncolytic viruses, immunotherapy for the treatment of melanoma tumors is usually effective and reduces the size of tumors in no more than a third of patients. The new treatment method reduced the volume of tumors in 47% of patients.
In 22% of patients, scientists recorded complete remission without any signs of cancer.
All patients received treatment for at least two years every few weeks.
"Our first results are very promising. Injections of the modified Coxsackie virus in combination with existing immunotherapy proved to be not only safe, but also more effective than the use of only one immunotherapy drug," said co–author Janice Menert.
Clinical trials are continuing and now scientists intend to include more patients in the last stages of melanoma. In addition, they also plan to find out the mechanism of action of the Coxsackie virus – how exactly it changes the tumor microenvironment and makes cancer cells more vulnerable to pembrolizumab.
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