Immunotherapy Resistance and Response to Adoptive Therapy in Patients With Metastatic Uveal Melanoma
Source: The Asco Post, April 2024
Researchers may have uncovered the mechanisms behind conventional immunotherapy resistance as well as the efficacy of adoptive therapy in metastatic uveal melanoma, according to a recent study published by Leonard-Murali et al in Nature Communications. The findings demonstrated the potential to improve personalized therapies and avoid unnecessary treatments in metastatic uveal melanoma.
Background
Uveal melanoma is a rare and aggressive type of cancer that originates in the uveal tract of the eye but tends to metastasize throughout the body, often to the liver. When metastasis occurs, the disease may become challenging to treat and the prognosis for patients is almost always poor.
“Cutaneous melanoma, which affects the skin, is the poster child of immunotherapy. It responds incredibly well to immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs,” explained senior study author Udai Kammula, MD, FACS, Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Solid Tumor Cell Therapy Program at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. “None of these conventional immunotherapies work for uveal melanoma, but we hadn’t known why until now,” he added.