Targeted Immunotherapy Treatment Shows Promise for Treating Advanced Stage Liver Tumors

Source: DDDMag, April 2018

Advanced stage liver tumors may be safely treated through image-guided injections of an immunotherapy approved for melanoma, according to a study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s Annual Scientific Meeting.
Researchers found that talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC)–a genetically modified version of the herpes virus–can be safely administered into active cancer in the liver and stimulate the immune system to destroy cancer cells throughout the body.
“Advanced stage liver tumors, including ones that have spread from other locations, have limited treatment options because the patients can be in poor health; further, the complex structure of the organ can make it difficult to target with standard approaches," said Steven S. Raman, M.D., professor of radiology, surgery and urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, and lead author of the study. “This minimally invasive treatment offers patients a novel way to, directly and indirectly, attack the cancer cells."

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