Of all the skin cancers, melanoma is considered the most dangerous since it's also the most invasive, occurring in the deepest part of the skin. Moreover, once it starts to metastasize, it becomes very difficult to treat. However, an associate professor is treating some advanced patients wonderfully not with chemotherapy but with a virus.
Robert Andtbacka, who currently works in Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah as its surgery department's assistant professor, has discovered that by introducing specific modified viruses that usually cause herpes and cold sores into the skin, melanoma can also be treated.
To be more specific, Andtacka injects it into or places one on top of the skin to stimulate the immune system to react. When the immune system detects there's a threat to the body, it releases antibodies that tend to surround and destroy the virus. However, based on what he did, these same antibodies, the body's soldiers, can also destroy the cancer cells.
This is in contrast to the conventional form of cancer treatment such as chemotherapy that usually kills all types of cells, leaving the body with almost no form of immunity.
What makes this method even better is that it doesn't show any side effect except for a slight fever, as well as redness or soreness in the injected site, similar reactions when a person receives flu shot. Chemotherapy, on the other hand, causes the patient to lose weight and hair, as well as feel nauseous and vomiting. Some can also lead to changes in skin texture and color.
The virus also doesn't seem to affect anyone who gets to touch the patient, especially the injected site.
So far, more than 55% is already seeing dramatic improvements from this method.
Although they are still in a clinical trial and much work has to be done, the professor feels he has never developed this much hope for curing melanoma.