Breakthrough paves way for predicting melanoma patient response to treatment
Source: New Zealand Doctor, April 2025
A major step forward has been made in predicting how well melanoma patients would respond to treatment, thanks to world-leading University of Otago – ?t?kou Whakaihu Waka research.
More than 7,000 melanomas are diagnosed each year in Aotearoa New Zealand, and nearly 300 people annually lose their lives to the disease.
Immunotherapy treatment, particularly Keytruda (anti-PD1 therapy), is the main frontline medicine used to treat skin cancer. However, only about 30-40 per cent of melanoma patients respond to Keytruda effectively, underscoring the need for biomarkers to predict treatment success.