 |
|
Researchers testing virus-gene therapy combination against melanoma
July 02, 2009Researchers at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center are injecting a modified herpes virus into melanoma tumors, hoping to kill the cancer cells while also bolstering the body's immune defenses against the disease.
Gregory Daniels, MD, PhD, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and his co-workers are comparing the modified virus treatment, called OncoVEX GM-CSF, to general immune system stimulation with the immune-boosting protein GM-CSF in an international phase III trial for patients with advanced melanoma. The Moores UCSD Cancer Center is the only site in San Diego for the clinical trial.
Melanoma, the most dangerous kind of skin cancer, takes about 60,000 lives a year in this country. "Melanoma has always been curable, but only in a small fraction of patients," Daniels said. "Local tumor killing with immune activation may provide an additional tool to increase this number to a larger population of cancer patients."
According to Daniels, the injected virus appears to preferentially infect cancer cells, leading to tumor death. The expression of the GM-CSF protein may also direct an immune attack against both infected and non-infected tumors. The virus has in essence been genetically reprogrammed to target the cancer cells, while healthy cells remain relatively untouched. The research team is testing the two-pronged attack of direct tumor cell killing and immune activation. Their aim is to see if it will help those patients whose cancer has spread to other areas of the body to live longer without disease than has been possible with standard therapies.
While the field of cancer immunotherapy - employing the body's own immune system to fight cancer - has had mixed results to date, Daniels remains hopeful. Earlier stage testing showed that about 26 percent of patients receiving the OncoVEX GM-CSF therapy had either a partial or complete response, meaning their cancer either stopped growing or regressed.
Daniels said that while the therapy has been shown in earlier testing to destroy the injected tumors to some degree, it also causes a general change in the immune system, occasionally shrinking uninjected tumors. "It's a more active type of immunotherapy, causing a cascade of immune system activity in the body," he said.
The team hopes to enroll 30 patients with advanced melanoma. The cancer in these individuals cannot be removed surgically, and the patients must have had one failed prior therapy. The goal of the trial is not necessarily to cure the patients of their cancer, but to enable them to live disease-free for at least six months and longer. In all, 360 patients worldwide will ultimately participate in the trial. Twice as many patients will get the virus as will get the GM-CSF alone. As this is not a blinded study, those running the trial will know who is getting which therapy, but the treatments are randomly assigned to participants.
The virus infection-immune system-boosting approach could potentially be used for other types of cancers, Daniels said, such as colon, breast, prostate, bladder and lung.
University of California - San Diego
According to Daniels, the injected virus appears to preferentially infect cancer cells, leading to tumor death. The expression of the GM-CSF protein may also direct an immune attack against both infected and non-infected tumors. The virus has in essence been genetically reprogrammed to target the cancer cells, while healthy cells remain relatively untouched. The research team is testing the two-pronged attack of direct tumor cell killing and immune activation. Their aim is to see if it will help those patients whose cancer has spread to other areas of the body to live longer without disease than has been possible with standard therapies.
While the field of cancer immunotherapy - employing the body's own immune system to fight cancer - has had mixed results to date, Daniels remains hopeful. Earlier stage testing showed that about 26 percent of patients receiving the OncoVEX GM-CSF therapy had either a partial or complete response, meaning their cancer either stopped growing or regressed.
Daniels said that while the therapy has been shown in earlier testing to destroy the injected tumors to some degree, it also causes a general change in the immune system, occasionally shrinking uninjected tumors. "It's a more active type of immunotherapy, causing a cascade of immune system activity in the body," he said.
The team hopes to enroll 30 patients with advanced melanoma. The cancer in these individuals cannot be removed surgically, and the patients must have had one failed prior therapy. The goal of the trial is not necessarily to cure the patients of their cancer, but to enable them to live disease-free for at least six months and longer. In all, 360 patients worldwide will ultimately participate in the trial. Twice as many patients will get the virus as will get the GM-CSF alone. As this is not a blinded study, those running the trial will know who is getting which therapy, but the treatments are randomly assigned to participants.
The virus infection-immune system-boosting approach could potentially be used for other types of cancers, Daniels said, such as colon, breast, prostate, bladder and lung.
University of California - San Diego
Melanoma Current Events and Melanoma News RSSLaser therapy can aggravate skin cancer
High irradiances of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) should not be used over melanomas.
Quarter of a million children in England at risk of skin cancer from sunbeds
An estimated quarter of a million 11-17 year olds in England are being put at increased risk of developing malignant melanoma by using sunbeds, warn researchers in a letter to this week's BMJ.
Hundreds of genes distinguish patients likely to survive advanced melanoma
Although the chances of surviving advanced melanoma aren't very good with current therapies, some patients can live for years with cancer that has spread beyond the skin to other organs.
New Notre Dame study provides insights into the molecular basis of tumor cell behavior
A new study by a team of researchers led by Crislyn D'Souza-Schorey, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, sheds light on the molecular basis by which tumor cells modulate their surroundings to favor cancer progression.
Switching immunosuppressants reduces cancer risk in kidney
Switching to a newer type of immunosuppressant drug may reduce the high rate of skin cancer after kidney transplantation, according to research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA.
Cancer survivors may not be getting the help they need to stop smoking
More than a quarter of cancer survivors who still smoke have not been advised to quit smoking by their health care providers in the last year, according to a study published by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in the current issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Melanoma treatment options 1 step closer
A targeted chemotherapy for the treatment of skin cancer is one step closer, after a team of University of Alberta researchers successfully synthesized a natural substance that shows exceptional potential to specifically treat this often fatal disease.
Resident physicians seldom trained in skin cancer examination
Many resident physicians are not trained in skin cancer examinations, nor have they ever observed or practiced the procedure.
New findings on the formation of body pigment
The skin's pigment cells can be formed from completely different cells than has hitherto been thought, a new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows. The results, which are published in the journal Cell, also mean the discovery of a new kind of stem cell.
Studying cancer in pet dogs to find new treatments for human patients
A team of scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, USA, says that studying pet dogs with cancer could yield valuable information on how to diagnose and treat human cancers.
More Melanoma Current Events and Melanoma News Articles
 |
Understanding Melanoma: What You Need to Know by Perry Robins; MD and Maritza Perez; MD (Author) Newly updated and now in its third edition, this handbook is written for melanoma patients, their families and friends, health professionals, and every person with an interest in the disease. This valuable book, written by two eminent dermatologist, tells all about melanoma from the moment of diagnosis through state- of-the-art treatments. Honest and straightforward, but reassuring in tone. Contrary to what many people fear, there is an excellent chance for a long and healthy life after diagnosis. Early warning signs and a step-by-step illustrated guide to self- examination of the skin are presented along with answers to the 25 questions most frequently asked about melanoma. There are specially-complied listing of information sources and support groups, a glossary which defines... |
 |
Melanoma: Prevention, Detection, and Treatment; Second Edition (Yale University Press Health & Wellness) by Catherine M. Poole (Author), IV DuPont Guerry (Author) The incidence of melanoma has increased by 2000% since 1930, and one person dies each hour from the disease. This cutting-edge guide provides scientifically accurate information patients and their families need in order to understand melanoma and its treatment and to receive vital reassurance. It is also a resource for those who want information about preventing the disease or finding it early when it is most curable. Catherine M. Poole, a melanoma survivor and melanoma patient advocate for many national organizations, and Dr. DuPont Guerry, an internationally renowned melanoma expert, have collaborated to provide current, correct, and easily understood information on the disease. The authors have had first hand contact with a multitude of patients with melanoma, and they understand... |
 |
The Definitive Guide to Melanoma by Lowndes Harrison MD (Author) The reassuring tone and clear explanations in this medical handbook provide valuable information to patients and family members struggling to understand a diagnosis of melanoma. Each year, more than 50,000 people in the U.S. learn that they have melanoma, and many of them are either young or elderly. This guide fills the information gap that develops between the initial diagnosis in the doctor's office and the treatment that follows. In easily understood layman's terms, a practicing oncologist explains the causes and symptoms of the disease, and provides extensive information on management and treatment of this most lethal form of skin cancer. |
 |
Melanoma Skin Cancer Awareness Black Genuine Swarovski Crystal Bracelet by SilverSpeck.com This Beautiful Black Genuine Swarovski Crystal Bracelet Is the Perfect Bracelet you have been waiting for. It has a Sparking Glimmer and is beaded on a Comfort Stretch band. Crystal beads can also be used to create your own jewelry! Very Stylish and Pretty! |
 |
What You Really Need to Know about Moles and Melanoma (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) by Jill R. Schofield MD (Author), William A. Robinson MD PhD (Author) Throughout the world, the incidence of malignant melanoma is increasing at an alarming rate. This dramatic rise is largely due to more frequent and prolonged exposure to intense sun, the result of major changes in clothing styles, recreation, and lifestyle (including widespread access to midwinter resort vacations). Significantly, recent scientific studies have shown an increased number of moles on, and a higher rate of melanoma in, people with the greatest sunscreen use, pointing out the mistaken belief that using sunscreen means getting a "safe" tan. The truth is that most sunscreen provides protection from UVB rays—the rays that cause the sunburn you see and feel—but not from UVA rays—the cancer-causing rays that penetrate deeper into the skin. In this book, physicians... |
 |
Cure Intraocular Melanoma T-shirt Large White by Shop Zeus |
 |
Understanding Melanoma Part of the award winning public television series Healthy Body/Healthy Mind. Melanoma is one of the most common forms of cancer, affecting more than 53,600 Americans each year. No one knows the exact causes of melanoma and doctors can rarely explain why one person gets melanoma and another does not. However, research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely to develop melanoma than others. People who are concerned about developing melanoma should talk with their doctor about the disease and the symptoms to watch for. This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. |
 |
100 Questions & Answers about Melanoma & Other Skin Cancers by Edward F. McClay (Author), Mary-Eileen T. McClay (Author), Jodie Smith (Author) Whether you're a newly diagnosed skin cancer patient, a survivor, or a friend of either, this book offers help. The only text to provde the doctor and a patient's view, 100 Questions & Answers About Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions about treatment options, post-treatment quality of life, sources of support, and much more. Written by two skin healthcare professionals and a melanoma survivor, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of this frightening disease. |
|
Melanoma Awareness Ribbon Mouse Pad by MyHeritageWear.com The Melanoma Ribbon proudly displayed on a mouse pad. There is no better way to achieve awareness for the meaning of the Melanoma Ribbon than to display it on your mouse pad for everyone to see. The mouse pad measures at 9.25 x 7.75, it is machine washable, and the colors will not fade or run. Start gaining awareness today by presenting your Melanoma Ribbon mouse pad at work or at home. It is certain to keep your mouse rolling in style all while gaining support and awareness! | |
 |
Understanding Melanoma Directed By: Information Television Network Also With: Information Television Network (Producer) |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |