Immunotherapy of melanoma

Publication date: September 2013 Source:European Journal of Cancer Supplements, Volume 11, Issue 2 Author(s): John B.A.G. Haanen Melanoma is considered one of the immunogenic – if not the most immunogenic – malignancies. This is based on several observations. 1. Spontaneous remissions occur occasionally. 2. In about 5% of melanomas no primary tumour is found. The genetic aberrations of these tumours closely resemble those of cutaneous melanomas, and therefore are suggestive of spontaneous regressions of the primary tumours. 3. Both primary tumours and metastases often have brisk lymphocytic infiltrates, a phenomenon that is correlated with better outcome. 4. Studies of isolates of these tumour-infiltrating T lymphocytes have revealed that a proportion of these cells recognise melanoma antigens. 5. Melanomas respond to immunotherapy. These observations have led to over 30years of research on immunotherapy for melanoma; many of these efforts have failed, with only a few exceptions: interleukin-2 (IL-2) and to a lesser degree interferon-a (IFN-〈). Recently, new developments in immunotherapy have revolutionised this treatment modality. Anti-CTLA4 has received approval from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of stage IV melanomas based on the improvement in overall survival in phase III trials, and more recently blockade of PD1/PDL1 interactions has shown objective clinical responses in a stage I...
Source: European Journal of Cancer Supplements - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research