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Tag: Non-Surgical Treatments
The outer layer of the skin completely replaces itself every two to four weeks, but when this process is blocked, cancer can grow. A new study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has now identified a key regulator of that block known as LSD1, as well as a way to genetically influence the skin to grow in a way that prevents this block from happening. Continue reading “[4 min read] Blocking key regulator could treat non-melanoma skin cancers”
A study has found that personalised nanovaccines are safe, well tolerated, and have an effect in melanoma.
Porous silicon and adenovirus-based bio-hybrid nanovaccines were developed in a study carried out at the University of Helsinki, providing new insights on the structure and efficacy of these systems as therapeutic cancer nanovaccines.
Immunotherapy is revolutionising cancer treatment, achieving durable and long-term responses in patients. However, due to immunotherapeutic resistance, only some patients experience a positive outcome. Combinations of immunotherapeutics can overcome the drug resistance, so the administration of a cancer vaccine or an oncolytic virus followed by immune antibodies is under investigation.
Nevertheless, there is an unmet need for powerful, safe vaccines. Nanoparticles, in particular porous silicon nanoparticles, present ideal characteristics to formulate nanovaccines, as a result of their size-specific targeting to the lymphoid organs, to their intrinsic adjuvant effect, and to the possibility to simultaneously load adjuvants and antigens.
M.Sc. Pharma Flavia Fontana describes in her doctoral thesis the development of nanovaccines from the materials to the pre-clinical proof of concept trials.
Fontana developed a bio-hybrid multistage nanovaccine formulation and evaluated its anti-cancer efficacy in murine tumour models. Fontana’s study shows that the treatment could stimulate the immune system of the mice and control melanoma tumours alone or when combined with antibodies, which are the present standard treatment. Fontana proposed bio-hybrid cell membrane technology as an innovative antigenic source.
The personalised nanovaccines described in Fontana’s thesis are safe and well tolerated. The core particle will be the same for all patients, while the cell membrane wrapping will change for each patient because it will derive from parts of their tumour biopsy.
The future developments of the nanovaccines will take them closer to the clinics by evaluating the feasibility of the approach with real patient tumours.
Interested in skin cancer medicine?
The HealthCert Professional Diploma programs offer foundation to advanced training in skin cancer medicine, skin cancer surgery or dermoscopy and provide an essential step towards subspecialisation. All programs are university quality-assured, CPD-accredited and count towards multiple Master degree pathways and clinical attachment programs in Australia and overseas. The programs are delivered online and/or face-to-face across most major cities of Australia.
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Source: Fontana F., 2019. Biohybrid Cloaked Nanovaccines for Immunotherapy. Dissertationes Scholae Doctoralis Ad Sanitatem Investigandam Universitatis Helsinkiensis, 47/2019, pp.78. ISBN 987-951-51-5286-2 (Paperback), ISBN 978-951-51-5287-9 (PDF, http://ethesis.helsinki.fi), ISSN 2342-316
In this webinar, Dr Tony Dicker reviews Picato® and its benefits for the treatment of solar keratosis. Dr Dicker discusses the use of lesion-directed therapies in a clinical setting, including the efficacy and skin reactions of Picato®. Continue reading “[WEBINAR] Benefits and review of Picato for solar keratosis”
In this month’s skin cancer update video, Professor Giuseppe Argenziano discusses how a new therapeutic agent, cemiplimab, might be used in combination with radiotherapy to treat advanced squamous cell carcinoma. Continue reading “[3 min watch] Skin Cancer Update with Prof Giuseppe Argenziano [August 2019]”
A drug typically used to treat breast cancer may also be effective in treating mucosal melanoma.
Mucosal melanoma is not linked to UV exposure and is extremely difficult to treat. It occurs on moist tissues inside the body, including the eyes, inside the mouth and nose, gastrointestinal areas and the genital tract.
Continue reading “[4 min read] Breast cancer drug may treat mucosal melanoma”
In this month’s skin cancer update video, Professor Giuseppe Argenziano talks about an interesting patient case that demonstrates the importance of performing an examination of the entire skin surface – even if the patient is only concerned about one particular lesion – and highlights how dermoscopy can both enhance and change our understandings of lesions in the clinical setting. Continue reading “[2 min watch] Skin Cancer Update with Prof Giuseppe Argenziano [July 2019]”
Researchers have identified compounds that starve melanoma cells of energy. Scientists at Oregon State University and Oregon Health & Science University have found a possible way of beating the drug resistance of melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer. Continue reading “[4 min read] Compounds found that starve melanoma cells of energy”
How do you determine first-line treatment for your patients with melanoma? Treatment decisions for advanced melanoma are increasingly complex and guidelines provide limited advice on how to choose between immunotherapy and targeted therapy for first-line treatment. A Delphi study was carried out to understand which patient characteristics and disease-related factors inform clinicians’ choices of first-line treatment for BRAF-mutated melanoma.
Continue reading “[5 min read] First-line treatment decisions for BRAF-mutated melanoma”
In this month’s skin cancer update video, Professor Giuseppe Argenziano continues his two-part discussion from last month about the role of Imiquimod in the treatment of lentigo maligna. Using real patient case examples, Giuseppe discusses Imiquimod in an adjuvant setting, including how it can be applied in a clinical setting after surgery has been performed. Continue reading “[4 min watch] Skin Cancer Update with Prof Giuseppe Argenziano [June 2019]”
In this month’s skin cancer update video, Professor Giuseppe Argenziano talks about the role of Imiquimod in the treatment of primary melanoma. Using real patient case examples, Giuseppe describes the context in which Imiquimod can be utilised and the type of results physicians can expect. Continue reading “[3 min watch] Skin Cancer Update with Prof Giuseppe Argenziano [May 2019]”
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