Herpes Virus-Based Drug Successfully Treats Aggressive Skin Cancer

Genetically modified herpes virus is now used to successfully treat patients with skin cancer.

Virotherapy is a treatment produced by using and modifying a disease to attack another. According to The Guardian, a phase 3 trial for cancer virotherapy has successfully treated a skin cancer patient using a drug called T-VEC, which is extracted from herpes virus.  

"This is the big promise of this treatment. It's the first time a virotherapy has been shown to be successful in a phase 3 trial," said lead scientist Kevin Harrington of London's Institute of Cancer Research.

The virus therapy T-VEC is manufactured by Amgen, an American firm. According to a research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, patients who were tested with inoperable malignant melanoma survived 20 months longer than patients who were not given the virus therapy.

"There is increasing excitement over the use of viral treatments like T-VEC, because they can launch a two-pronged attack on tumours - both killing cancer cells directly and marshalling the immune system against them. And because viral treatment can target cancer cells specifically, it tends to have fewer side-effects than traditional chemotherapy or some of the other new immunotherapies," said Harrington.

If approved, it could be available for cancer patients next year. It even has the potential to combat advanced cancer when the disease has spread throughout the body.

Dr. Hayley Frend of Cancer Research UK says that using viruses for cancer treatments was "exciting"

"Using a virus to both kill cancer cells and nudge the immune system into attacking them is exciting. Previous studies have shown T-VEC could benefit some people with advanced skin cancer, but this is the first study to prove an increase in survival," he said.

In the study, the researchers enlisted more than 400 patients diagnosed with aggressive malignant melanoma. After 6 months, they found that more than 16% responded to the treatment compared to the 2.1 percent who were given control treatment.

According to the UK Independent, some patients still responded to the treatment after three years.

According to an expert in oncolytic viruses, Alan Melcher from University of Leeds said that immunotherapy has advanced very quickly.

Oncolytic virus expert Alan Melcher, from University of Leeds, said that immunotherapy has advanced very quickly.

"The field has moved very quickly clinically. Immunotherapy looks promising and big pharmaceutical companies are now involved. Amgem have bought this virus and the reality is, when the big companies get involved things move a lot more quickly," Melcher said.

"They were first developed to go in and kill cancer cells but leave other cells unharmed. What's become clear is that these viruses may do that but what is probably more important, is that they work by stimulating an immune response against cancer," Melcher added.