Melanoma

A phase 1 clinical trial exploring the use of fecal transplants to supplement immunotherapy treatment for melanoma has found it to be safe and has the potential to improve patients’ response to treatment.

Scientists have developed a new potential treatment for cancer that works in a similar way to the COVID-19 vaccines. The technique involves delivering mRNA molecules to cancer cells and tricking them into producing toxic proteins that kill the tumors.

Cancer is the end result of a wide range of problems, and learning how it occurs is key to prevention and treatment. Now, scientists have discovered a never-before-seen cancer-causing mechanism – a kind of clog in a cellular garbage disposal system.

Researchers at UCLA have developed a small sponge that can be implanted next to a tumor to help the body fight it. In tests in mice, the devices induced remission, prevented growth and spread of cancers, and increased survival times.

A combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy has shown promise against stage IV melanoma in a new clinical trial. The chemo drug targets a type of cell that suppresses the immune response, and together the two showed an increased response rate.

The first results from a trial testing mRNA technology against cancer reveal 44% of patients fared better than those on conventional treatments. The announcement from Moderna reveals Phase 3 trials for its mRNA skin cancer vaccine will commence next year.

Researchers have created a new mRNA vaccine for cancer that’s designed to carry its cargo to the lymph nodes rather than the liver. Tests in mice showed significant inhibition of the tumors, with complete remission in a decent percentage of cases.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer thanks to its ability to rapidly spread to other organs. Brazilian researchers have now developed a peptide that seems to slow the growth and spread of melanoma, improving the survival rates of test mice.

Researchers have demonstrated a new kind of non-invasive skin cancer detection tool. Preliminary tests found the technology to be 97 percent effective at detecting cancer tissue and the researchers are now working to develop a cheap handheld device.

A new test has been developed to assess the likelihood of an early-stage melanoma either spreading or recurring. The test measures levels of several proteins in a biopsy, helping doctors assess which patients require more frequent follow-ups.

Using AI to spot melanoma in its early stages is an exciting possibility, and a new deep-learning system developed by Harvard and MIT scientists promises a new level of sophistication, by using a method known as the “ugly duckling” criteria.

In a promising new study, scientists have demonstrated how fecal transplants can alter the microbiome to make advanced melanoma sufferers, who have not responded to immunotherapy in the past, more responsive to these treatments.